


Sonic and the Harmony of Chaos - The 8th Emerald

by Cutegirlmayra



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, chaosxharmony - Freeform, cutegirlmayra, harmonyxchaos, sonamy - Freeform, sonicxamy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-04-13 15:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14115129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutegirlmayra/pseuds/Cutegirlmayra
Summary: An ancient trickery has caused the Gods of Order to be separated, but believing in an old Echidna fable, Eggman journeys to discover the lost 8th Emerald, the Crystal of Harmony. Forcing history to repeat itself, Chaos desperately calls upon Sonic's aid to free his friend from her long-suffering and bring Order back to the world! As one. (Sonamy) (ChaosxHarmony)





	1. Chapter 1

Sonic and The Harmony of Chaos - The 8th Emerald

Ch. 1

By: Cutegirlmayra (I've been wanting to do this story for a long time. Yes, I'm still working on Metallic Need edits for season 2 and then I'll work on Instincts edits for its season 2. But it's nice to have other projects to focus on too. That way, if I get tired or lose motivation in one project, I can work on another till I find motivation for it again. It works for me, anyway. Enjoy this story ^-^)

Long, long ago… when the planet was still but an egg full of unfathomable energy just floating in the magnitude of space… two beings of immense power gazed upon what would be known as our world.

Soon, they combined their strengths- one of mass destruction, whose ocean blue created the seas and powerful earth, and paved the way for mountains, deep rivers, and streams… His masculine ability also created the creatures that would be the fathers of all living.

The second was much gentler, with the light pink of beautiful life, she used her energy to create flowers, trees, fruits, winds and skies, grass both above and below the seas. Her feminine ability created the mothers of the world, so that her power may not wane, and that destruction may never destroy all life.

Together, they created what was known to us as Order. The Order of life and destruction here on our planet. Through the births and deaths of this world, the two were hailed as Gods, and decided to watch over their creations, continuing to create and destroy so long as they both… were one in purpose.

However, our people made a grave error. In seeking to conquer through war, we tricked the gentle Goddess into using her power to create the Chaos Emeralds, powerful stones that gave our people the power to wield both time and space, and immense powers still not fully known by our kind. But our chief wanted more…

In a great desire for the power of the Gods, our chief convinced The Goddess known as Harmony to create a Master of all the Emeralds she had created. He deceived her into believing the power was to store away all the evil within the world, which he would defeat and control for righteous purposes. In her angelic trust of her creations, she willingly created the Master Emerald, and then… was attacked by our forces.

In her desperate cries, unable to destroy, she called upon her dearest and timeless friend, The God of Chaos, to help her in her time of great agony and torment through our deceit.

For we had not only betrayed the loving heart of a Goddess but also incurred the great wrath of the God of Destruction!

For Gods cannot stand the power of the Chaos Emeralds… enabling her powerless to fight against the wicked Chief of our people…

When Chaos arrived, our chief used the power of the Master Emerald Harmony had created to seal him away, entrapping him as a permeant power-source to our people through the Chaos Emeralds.

In terrible sorrow do I now recall to tell you… that my father then turned the God of Destruction, who was regrettably under his control, to his equal- the Goddess of Harmony. Wanting to disrupt the Order of the world so that he may be undefeatable, he controlled and commanded Chaos to fire and destroy Harmony's power… Her arm was obliterated by Chaos's power, and she began weaker than her once equally-balanced ally.

Because the damage was done by a God, Harmony could not use her power to heal herself, nor could she now ever measure the adequate strength to keep the Order of the world. My father did this so that Chaos would be the ultimate power, and that no other tribe nor people may ever use Harmony against him. They then forced Harmony through Chaos to be sealed within a hidden Emerald, an Emerald formed of a magical crystal, and stored her away within that crystal's cave; This all was done so that this new, disrupted Order may ever be in the control of our Chief.

I now go to the Chao Garden, for those creatures were created by Harmony, and therefore, Chaos protects them from all evil. I fear he is in great anger from the trickery that was done by my people, the Echidnas, and will rebel against them in great wrath. For now, however, he seems to be biding his time in wait. I, Tikal, shall persist in stopping my father from furthering injury upon this world for the vain and foolish desire of greed and undeserved power! I vow that if I cannot free Harmony and restore the true powers of Order to the world once again… that perhaps one day… Another more able hero, will take up my cause and reunite Chaos… with his Harmony.

"What a touching story." Cubot sniffed, wearing a miner's hat and carrying a pickaxe as a bunch of other robots drilled the crystal caves. All the while, Eggman lay on a palanquin with robots carrying him underneath.

He fanned himself with the ancient script he was reading and grinned a large smile, letting it spread across his face under his raised nose. "I know~ So tragic, and yet-!" he crumbled up the manuscript, "So perfectly evil! Just my kind of reading!" He placed it back in his 'explorer's bag' looking like a proper English archeologist, but his getup's cleanliness suggested he hadn't actually worked since he got there.

"Now stop dawdling and get back to work!"

"Work? More? We've worked for sixteen hours straight, with no tune-ups, no oil breaks, uuhhh… I feel my circuits sparking with imaginary sweat." Orbot wiped his forehead, just for the expression of it all. Then, one robot cracked a little slash into the rock, and some rippling lights appeared through it.

"Is that the northern lights?" Orbot leaned over, blinking his eye-lights towards the odd, psychedelic patterns of color coming from the slashed earth.

Cubot huffed, "Oh, so you were built with a compass for directional assistance… and I wasn't!?"

Eggman's whole frame leaped upward in excitement, gripping the side of his comfy, sprawled bed upon the palanquin. His glasses glowed the brilliant colors, before he whispered, "Oh, Harmony..?"

The lights dimmed.

"You there…?" His creepy laughter drew forth from his throat as he watched the lights fade and then grow a light pink.

"Hehehe…hohoho…heheh…" He rubbed his hands together, before jumping off the palanquin and swiping a robot's pickaxe from its hands, "Give that to me! I've got a Goddess to save~"

The robot had its hands open and looked from side to side, trying to figure out where it's pickaxe went as Eggman hacked into the earth. His wild swings frightened the tinier mining robots who stood back, seeing him carve the way for more light to flash through the darkness of their excavation.

"She said a crystal cave, ha! More like a mountain! It's taken me a full-on year to track down the strange energy signals to this location! Hurrufh!" he threw the pickaxe back, having it hurl into a Robot's head as it whirled around in panic, and ran around like a chicken with its arms out in front of it, running into a wall and falling backwards.

Hesitating, Eggman placed his hand out through the entrance he had created.

He waved his hand, turning it front and back, checking to make sure the light source was withstandable; and then, peeked his head in.

His nose slapped down on the edge of the corner to the inside, bobbing around as his eyes scanned the open cavern till they saw a crystal hanging on the top of the wall.

It was the one shining the brilliant pink…

He grinned once more, and slowly walked towards it. "Hello, my dear!~" he gleefully called to her in a friendly sort of way.

After all… it was his specialty to trick and deceive…

"I've heard of a most unfortunate story about your imprisonment… and your arm?" he gestured to his own.

Suddenly, the crystal began to shine an ominous color, sounding out a ringing warning as Eggman's smile turned worrisome, and he rubbed his hands again, licking his lips.

"Yes, well, umm… heh." He tugged on his outfit's collar, stretching it out. "Some people can be so cruel, eh? But you created them to be full of Order, right? Back and forth they swiiiing~ between chaos and harmony, destruction and life. All the while you try desperately to escape your cage and horrible GUILT at what you've done to your dear, timeless friend~… The God of Chaos…"

Eggman leaped around, testing how far he could approach and having scanners upon his glasses reading the dangerous signals coming all around the crystal.

"That's a rather large…" Orbot simulated a gulp. "E-e-emerald…"

"Does the boss know it looks like he's talking to a rock?"

"Quiet, Cubot! This mission could be in jeopardy if we blow our cover!"

"Oh right, cause she may backlash at us with her immense 'power of beauty~' at us." Cubot swayed at the whimsical words of the story, not looking very scared as Orbot face-palmed himself.

"Power of life! Life, you idiot! She could create something bigger and better to destroy you!" Cubot warned. "The breath of life, ever heard of it? Wonder where it comes from?"

"If Chaos is a bunch of water, then she's a bunch of…" Cubot put a finger to his mouth, turning to Orbot. "Dust?"

"Wind… and something far more gruesome." Orbot shook in his bolts. "She's also made of…"

"Blood…" Eggman grimaced, leaning back as his nose twitched. "The waters of life… not of destruction…" he looked to see the crystal swarming about with liquid, and held his nose away from the stench.

"Pink for flesh. I figured as much." He muttered to himself, before lightly stepping closer. "Come, Harmony… you've been cramped up in that Crystal for far too long… Come,… I'm a gentlemen you know~" He extended his hand, trying to see if he could touch it.

The signals in his glasses told him to be careful, and he did so, not daring to touch it's boiling hot surface just yet.

The crystal let out a powerful heated light, another warning to stay back.

"Eh-heh…" Eggman ducked and guarded with his arms against the powerful light, before gulping and smiling warmly again, "I'm a man of the heart, really… so very… very fond of the positive attributes of mankind…" he fibbed through his teeth and waited to see if the Crystal would cool down.

"You and I… we've both been deceived. Tricked and cheated of what is rightfully ours! Now… Wouldn't you love to see the world you've created once more? The world you were meant to share with Chaos?"

The Crystal suddenly lowered in temperature, turning a cooler blue and then green…

His smile widened, seeing some success. "And your beautiful creatures! Even the Chao! Aren't you missing them..? Your faithful companions… so sweet and child-like… after all, it is you who allowed the continuation of life upon this world, am I right? And now… only Chaos controls the balance of things… terribly so, might I add." He tilted his head, getting closer…"So ugly and dull, wouldn't you like to beautify and give greater life to your creations once more? Instead of letting Chaos have all the fun?" But as his hand went to reach for the cooler temperature, it suddenly shone a bright yellow, crimson, and the rushing of blood within its core.

"Yeee!" Eggman strained his face back, seeing the temperature drastically rise and withdrew his hand. Like a lava lamp, the Crystal faded into many different colors, full of torment as the blood splashed around and then boiled up in many different in undefinable shapes. "Oh right, you still love him, don't you..?" he giggled faintly, realizing his folly.

"Of course you do, I mean… it wasn't his fault, right..? It was… the Echidnas!" he threw his finger up, accusingly.

The temperature raged…

"Not… the Echidnas?" he lowered his finger, confused.

The temperature cooled… as suddenly the lights and blood within the 8th Emerald known as the Harmony Crystal began a puppet-show of sorts.

Eggman turned around, watching the scene and moving out of the light's way…

He narrowed his eyes to squint and see that two dragon figures fought upon the cave's wall, as one emerald shone and a dragon reared its ferocious head back, being sucked into it and then coming out with the large emerald as its core.

Eggman watched as this dragon, being controlled by the emerald shape, blasted the other dragon and wounded its arm, completely having it destroyed.

He then watched as other emeralds pulled apart the dragon's body, separating its power into seven emeralds that then circled its core… Absorbing him into the Master Emerald.

"It's power… was divided?" Eggman raised his eyebrow, pretending like he cared or possibly didn't know the whole story. He knew Chaos was controlled through each Chaos Emerald, he didn't really care how, only that he used them for his own purposes as power sources; much like the evil Echidna chief.

Then, the wounded shadow of the dragon he figured was Harmony's true form was sealed within the crystal's shape.

"Now I see…" Eggman watched the two shapes suddenly be parted, and the figures of Harmony and Chaos, non-dragon forms, reached for each other before Harmony's crabish claw-like hand was withdrawn and placed to her missing arm's shoulder…, her head ducking down as the shadows of their forms faded.

"You're ashamed…" he beamed, before turning to her in his best pity face that he could possibly muster, pouting lower lip included. "Poor, poor Harmony… You fear he can't forgive you for your mistake… you were the one that gave the Echidnas all they asked for, without a second thought, not even questioning what they were really after… you were the one that created the means to sealed away your friend…It was your power that doomed his freedom and blessed, all-powerful, state… that caused him to destroy half your power…your own arm… to enslave him to your creatures… aww.. Poor, poor precious Harmony…All you've ever given to your friend is… well… HARM." He looked at his hands, before crushing them, losing his act.

He saw the temperature lower to extreme colds, and happily snapped his fingers, having the robots bring the palanquin in and lower it under the Harmony Crystal. It seemed that the blood was forming into her figure, tossing to and fro in what looked to be great torment as the crystal steamed out mist from the hot recapture turning back to cold so sudden. The pink liquid creature rocked back and forth in the crystal, gripping its head at the memory of regret. The image was barely seen through the crystal besides the shadows that came from within its light. Eggman smiled at its pathetic state, walking up with his hands behind his back to it, standing as if confidently in power over and before it.

He felt like the one in control now...

He rolled his fingers off the other, scheming… "I could help you mend the pain and ask forgiveness of Chaos~ Of course… you'd have to do something for me~"

The Crystal roared a metallic ring, the blood suddenly seemed to disappear, as if diluted to form the pink liquid with the spiraling wind tunnel inside. Bright eyes glowed through the crystal then, as blood had crystalized to make the Goddess's eyes; her full body was now a liquid pink spiral of the breath of life's energy.

She leaned forward, but the Crystal blocked her from getting closer.

"Well, yes. I do know where he is but… you see, times have changed here on this little planet you helped to grow, and gee… we all need something, now don't we?" he laughed, as the robots clicked into action the trap on the palanquin and the crystal was surrounded by a metallic casing.

Green bolts of lightning zapped and held the crystal in place while it tried to resist before a cry could be heard ringing throughout the cave.

Tossing in pain, the figure's one hand bashed the crystal, before her eyes bent to sorrow and she ducked her head, being dragged down further into the crystal till her form dissolved and the wind and blooded liquid fell back within the crystal's clear but distorted vision.

The metallic cage was being fueled… by three Chaos Emeralds.

"Oh, you let another one of your creations into your tender heart, now didn't you?" Eggman smacked his big belly, before holding it as he cackled.

"The world has changed, Harmony! But the evil that resides in it… will always be greedy and power-hungry…" his eyes shone with the green of the Emeralds energy, piercing the Crystal and forcing it to stabilize as it continued to shine out in rebellion.

Orbot and Cubot gripped their hands together, approaching cautiously.

"Hohoho! Girls' hearts are always so easy to fool. Their emotions so easily swayed." Eggman wiped a tear from below his glasses, flicking it off before smirking up at his latest 'damsel' he'd acquired and started pointing to the door.

"But I still keep my promises. Boys! Take this fair maiden out from the dark~"

The robots heaved and ho'd till they got out of the cave, all the while, the shrill sounds of the pained Crystal rang through the air.

. . . . .

The Master Emerald was no stranger to the sound of the metallic crying.

Knuckles sat peacefully in sleep upon the top of the Master Emerald; when, in a sudden burst of light, it jumped and tilted itself, rolling him off.

Knuckles cried out in fright before flailing his arms about, crashing to the ground.

"HEY!" he rose up, rubbing his head and walking around, "Rouge!?" he looked behind the Emerald, putting a hand to it before leaning to check, then seeming confused. "Sonic?" he continued to search before stepping out from the altar of the emeralds.

"Huh." He looked to a chao who was nibbling on some fruit. "…You push me off?" he asked.

The chao looked up at him, innocently chewing with a pure expression on its face.

"Heh. Didn't think so."

Then the Master Emerald started shining again, this time, lingering and growing brighter.

"Woah!" Knuckles spun around, as the chaos started to gather together and flap their little wings close to the Master Emerald.

They cheered, for some unknown reason, and hugged while spinning each other in the air, celebrating something.

"Huh, what's going on?" Knuckles suddenly turned to look at the Chao, before hearing a familiar voice.

"She's been found. History will repeat itself. A great war is upon us. Order must be restored. Knuckles… take upon you my vow. Bring Harmony to Chaos! And Order back to the world!"

"W-wha-wha-what!?"

Knuckles stood back as the Master Emerald shone with an even greater light, "Tikal!?" he covered his eyes and stepped back, grunting at the brightness of it stinging his eyes.

Then, the light faded. As instantly as it begun.

"…Uhhhh…" Knuckles lowered his arms, blinking at the blur in them before seeing a blue figure standing before him.

"…It… can't be…"

He squinted the more, then yelped.

"Chaos!?"

The God of Destruction stood before him, looking mighty and upset.

It stood up to him, babbling with his bubbles rising in great speeds at his anger, but the noise made no sense to Knuckles.

"Woah… I better uh.. I better get the gang together."

Knuckles scratched his head, before shaking it and letting out some air.

"Boy, I hope I'm still dreaming."

He walked on and was surprised when Chaos followed him.

"Ah!" he was spooked to see him directly behind him, "Not so close, dude!" he complained, but Chaos just glared at him, as his emerald eyes shone with protest.

(And thus… our adventure begins~)


	2. Chapter 2

Sonic and the Harmony of Chaos

Ch. 2

By: Cutegirlmayra (Someone requested I update this too, so I'm working on a bunch of stuff right now, but I'm trying to keep in mind who wants what updated and all :) Here we go!)

Rouge, sneaky as always, begins to stalk a mysterious figure ahead of her. Through the darkness of the Ancient Echidna ruins in the misty jungles near Angel Island.

Her wings bat an instant, looming above before the figure turns around, revealing a rather large, pointy nose as she darts across the canopy for further cover.

'…He's not supposed to be here…' she blinks her eyes down, before hearing something clip into place.

Curious, she flies again before the hooded stranger turns around, shooting a gun and just barely tipping her wing.

"AH!" she faltered in her flying and was about to crash down.

"…Ah!" The figure seemed shocked by who he had hit and dashed back the way he came to save her. Swiping his leg forward, he skidded along the dirt path and caught her before the unfortunate accident could prevail.

Landing on him, she squinted her weak and twitching eyes open, looking up to see him remove his hood.

"You should know by now… I don't like surprises."

"S…Shadow?" She looked shocked, before bashing his head down with the side of her fist. "How was I supposed to know who you were with that ridiculous getup!?"

Shadow moved his legs from under her, groaning at the pain on his head now but accepting it as ample punishment. He let out a long, winded cycle of air before continuing, "I wasn't sure your Echidna friend would let me come near here. I had to take precautions." He offered her his hand, which she looked away from before her eyes grew softer and she took it.

"We've been worried about you…" she admitted, seeming to change her tone entirely.

"…I've given enough help to G.U.N's services for an honest leave… I'm sure they'll manage without me." He helped her up, getting her back on her feet and looked to the tip of her wing's rim. "How you'll manage though… alludes me."

She gave him a stink eye stare, "Was that joke?" she lowered her eyelids, slightly offended.

He tilted his head, smiling with his eyes closed, before looking back to her with more care in his voice now. "Are you alright?"

"There. That's how you ask a lady who you just so happened to shoot." She put her hands on her hips, leaning her face in disgust towards him. "Honestly. All that time working together. Have you learned anything from me?" she tilted her face too, as he looked away from her expression change. She was once upset, but now… she was simply teasing him.

"So unamused…. My,… just my type, I guess." She shrugged and leaned away, folding her arms. "You barely nipped me. Be thankful I don't ask for retribution."

He stepped back, looking to the ruins.

"Hmm? Ignoring me is also something I'm starting to get accustomed too." she sighed, before swaying her hips in her feminine way of walking and standing beside him. "What's so fascinating about historical momentums that's got you all riled up?" she looked to him curiously, before smiling mischievously. "A gem or two I could snatch?" she gave off an alluring appeal, but he was used to her thieving prowess.

"Treasure-hunting… are you sure it's wise to steal under your favorite friend's nose?" he walked forward, tucking his gun back under his cloak as Rouge blushed and widened her eyes, hollering back after him with an intense, strained expression on her face.

"Favorite!? Now listen here, mister! If I had anyone I so happened to fancy, it'd be none of your concern!"

"Your ties to the Echidna aren't important right now… Not unless he's tied to these." He pulled out a device that fit in his hand, showing a rectangular screen of lights waved across the sky.

She lost her anger again, looking to the picture. "Those look like the Northern Lights." She walked up to the image, examining it further as Shadow spoke.

"I felt a Chaos Rift similar to the Dark Gaia incident… but worse this time. Much worse… These lights were rippling all over the world, spreading around it until mysteriously vanishing. According to these reports… they only lasted a few minutes or so." His thumb clicked the screen, revealing multiple images of the same occurrences of the light formation.

"I thought those manuscripts stated that event wouldn't occur again till we were all long dead and gone…?" Rouge leaned up, focusing on Shadow's words as he pulled the device back, clicking it off and folding it back into his brown, raggedy cloak.

"According to the professor… Those manuscripts were documented here… at the Echidna's Mystic Ruins."

"So… Knuckles's boy is involved in all this." She let her hip come out a bit as she placed one arm down calmly upon it and the other down by her side. "I was hoping to avoid him today and reap some benefits from exploring this place by my lonesome." She sighed, "Guess plans change…"

"What's your real reason, Rouge?" Shadow shifted his weight, turning away from her but keeping his eyes locked on her deceit.

She closed her eyes, smiling, "You can tell a lie that quickly from me, eh?"

"What goes G.U.N want with the Ruins?"

"Straight to the point…as usual. Well, don't say I didn't warn you." She leaned her head up, before reverting to a serious look on her face. "All work and no talk, is that right? In that case… G.U.N's known about the lights for some time now. The energy signals threaten that of almost the Chaos Emeralds…"

"The Chaos Emeralds?" Shadow looked surprised to hear that.

"Oh..? Something I know and you don't?" she flirted a little, leaning her head to the side and batting her eyes. "That certainly means some treasure for me… right?"

"Hmph. I don't have time for games, Rouge." Shadow glared a little, not putting up with her cheap tricks and gimmicks. "What has G.U.N learned?"

"I was sent to investigate the Ancient Echidna ruins in hopes of finding what manuscripts might be missing. After all… you've probably assumed from the Professor that these old parchments might actually hold some future worth to them." She motioned her hand forward as she spoke, returning to her normal approach on matters.

She's worked long enough with him to know he wasn't one for small talk… not when work was afoot…

"You have a thing for mysteries… don't you?"

"Go on. And no more dawdling. You're here for the missing link. To find out what you can about what this may be… hoping it's written somewhere like the Gaia Manuscripts?"

"Exactly." She cooed, "Treasure-hunting was my alibi if Knuckles ratted me out too soon. What's your excuse?" she teased him a bit, walking behind him as he looked back to the Ruins.

"Something's not quite adding up… it's like this is all happening too neatly…"

"Such is fate, my friend." She leaned her elbow against his shoulder, making his eyes swipe over to her instantly. "You really should loosen up… the lights haven't reappeared for some time now."

"That's because their traveling." His voice grew grave, shrugging off her touch as she had moved her elbow back and replaced it with her hand.

The disagreeable agitation in his voice made her feel slightly 'brushed off', making her pout a bit.

"They're circling the earth… like a distress signal… a beacon no one can ignore…"

"You think the lights are signals?" She looked dumbfounded by that theory. "Could it be some sort of distress call?"

"Or an act of war." He kept moving ahead, before pivoting to look back at her. "Come on."

"Oh? Suddenly you want my company?" she looked just as annoyed with his behavior as he had momentarily shown beforehand.

"…I could use you to distract the Guardian you're… so fond of." His teasing was so dry, she felt every bit of her body quake in aggression.

"You're walking on fine ice, Shadow…" she warned, bearing her teeth as her eye twitched and she flew after him.

"…In this humidity?"

"Why you-!"

Arriving inside the ruins, Shadow relied on Rouge's stealth and precision in locating hidden traps to move effortlessly towards the main library.

"So many floors…" he looked around him to see some debris of a previously destroyed Eggman robot. "…How long has this been here?"

"Since the era when Chaos first broke loose under Eggman's control… I'd assume." Rouge flew over him, leaning down to see the mechanical remains. "Hmph. They've just become part of the scenery now."

"Right… ancient history." Shadow gave one last look to the robot, before continuing on.

As they made their way to the large, cabinet-like housing area for the scrolls, they noticed how extensive the carved in squares ran up along the walls…

"They sure were good bookkeepers." Rouge marveled, before flying up and looking for any empty squares… "I can't perfectly read these inscriptions… but I'll do my best." She admitted, before seeing Shadow pull out his device again, taking pictures of the walls.

"Oh? What's that suppose to do?" she flew back down, as he clicked through the photos.

Hovering just over his shoulder behind him, Rouge noticed the photos now translated text upon the inscriptions.

"An automatic translator?"

"Tails has many useful apps he's created for these independent servers… he's quite resourceful… when he doesn't know you're hacking into them." He clicked through the photos before the Gaia Manuscripts listed on the screen.

"We already know what happened to that one," Rouge commented, as Shadow bent his head down, becoming more fixated on the devices results.

It was taking its sweet time…

Finally, Rouge motioned her pointer finger down and zoomed to the side of the device. "There! That's one missing! Go back!"

"Hmm?" He clicked back to show a square that was missing a scroll. "We've got a good chance that this could be it." He looked up to try and identify which 'cabinet' the picture showed. "There." He pointed in the upper right, "Near the corner."

As Rouge flew up to look, Shadow made sure she was distracted, before zooming in on the blurred image of a crystal. "…No translation… huh?" There were no words under the cabinet…

"Shadow!"

Shadow looked up, peering to see her holding something in her hands, waving it around. "I think I have a clue~"

Scanning the orange hair, they found the Doctor's DNA scan reading. "Eggman? He's behind this already?" She sighed, "Can't a girl catch a break…"

"I think this is important enough to speak to Sonic about." He tucked the hair into a compartment of the device, stringing it through for safe keeping. "Send G.U.N the Doctor's recent hair samples… they've been meaning to try and keep tabs on him through some means of identification."

"Hmm? How'd you know it was Eggman's if-" he tossed her the device, walking away. "Tails." He stated bluntly and sharply. "He's all the information I ever need to know." He then wandered off as Rouge held the device, before squeezing it as she looked off in hostile anger towards Shadow again.

"He acts like I'm not even needed!"

"You're not."

"W-what?" She suddenly looked very hurt, as he stopped to turn around, spinning his finger in the air.

"These walls echo."

She looked embarrassed and was tempted to throw the device, swinging her arm back. "I'll teach you to treat me like second-best!"

"If I only cared about your skills, I wouldn't have gone back for you." He began to walk away, smiling and giving a bit of a wave back to her. "I'll take care of Knuckles… Alert G.U.N of the approaching danger. The Doctor's awake from his long slumber…"

She held the phone back to her front, watching with concerned eyes as Shadow flipped the hoody back on and his shadow… fading with the light. "Shadow…"

Shadow had managed to make it to Angel Island, flipping his cloak behind him and fully taking it off, letting it fly in the wind before falling behind the floating island.

He walked with conviction passed the peaceful chao, all enjoying their lives and seeming especially invigorated today…

He walked by a few who excited came to greet him, mostly flapping their wings out of his way as they warmly smiled to him, trying to seek his attention. Some flew to his feet, trying to latch on for a wild ride but he never stopped to scold them. So, they continued to sit on his feet or try and hang on behind his ankle as he finally made his way to the Emeralds Altar.

"Hey, look… You can't just-! G-Go back in the Master Emerald!" Knuckles was straining against the God of Destruction, who protested being pushed back up against his green prison, and held his ground against Knuckles's brute strength.

"I won't… tell you…grrr… agaaainn…" he closed his eyes, twitching as he used all his force to try and shove Chaos back but even though his watery feet were sliding back with a slight flinching of movement, he wouldn't budge.

Bubbling noises brewed from within his head, his exposed brain pulsing slightly as his eyes narrowed to show his frustrations.

"Augh! Why won't you move..?" finally letting up, Knuckles let go of Chaos's body, having lowered his head to his chest to try and use more force against him, but the leverage didn't have any effect at all. "You're entire mass is water right..? Am I weaker than water..?" he scratched the top of his head, confused. "You've never been like this before… you're not attacking me. You're not even looking for an Emerald to power up into your other form with… so… what gives?" he shrugged, as Chaos held his own.

With all the might and glory of a God, he rose his head with pristine royalty… an ancient pride that Knuckles seemed to pick up on.

He moved back a bit, his feet slightly skidding rocks under themselves as he moved away. "H-hey, buddy… come on now. I won't fight if you won't…" he held his hands to the side, looking worried. "We're all just… having a peaceful morning, right?" he looked a bit afraid.

Chaos lowered his head, bubbling up his head and body again before turning to neutrally acknowledge something behind Knuckles.

"H-huh… what's behind my…" Still spooked, Knuckles slowly turned his head. "YE-AHH-HHAA…!" He lifted his leg up and arched his body back, getting shaken up by Shadow's random appearance there.

"S-Sha-Shadow!"

"…What's he doing here?" Shadow had his arms folded, momentarily looking to Knuckles before glaring to Chaos. "I thought he was supposed to be a great evil sealed into the Master Emerald… his power only ever being exposed when released through the combined power of the Chaos Emeralds."

Chaos equally glared back to Shadow.

For a moment, there was an intense glaring contest between the two, as if they both were unwilling to back down from an obvious 'size-me-up' challenge…

"Uhh… I should ask you the same thing." Knuckles calmed down, before looking once again puzzled and annoyed at Chaos's appearance. "He's just… standing there! Every time I move, he follows. It's like he can't go anywhere without me."

"…Is that so?" Shadow raised an eyebrow, cutting off the threatening atmosphere the two once had… "Ultimate Chaos… that's his final form right?"

Chaos broke his piercing look as well.

"…I wonder what he would think… if he knew a part of his power dwelt in a being like me… giving me the same title as his own."

"..Uh… Yeah, I guess so… anyway- WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ON MY ISLAND?!" he blinked a moment before shaking his head and yelling to Shadow. "This is a protected wildlife reserve and ancient ruined treasure! You can't be here without-!"

Shadow swiped out an Emerald.

Chaos's eyes widened back, his body lurching forward a moment as his two-clawed hands arched on his sides.

"…Uh… Hey, what gives?!"

"…Do you know what those lights were?"

Chaos's eyes narrowed.

"…Who were you trying to contact?"

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles stepped in-between the two now, holding his arms out to stop any hostilities he was sensing from the two. "Let's all just calm down and try and understand something… what are you here for?"

"Answers. Now… step aside." Shadow tossed up the Emerald, as he watched Chaos's head following the action. "You want this..? You'll have to tell me what's going on first…" he caught it expertly, smirking. "Or I'll take out your Guardian here…"

"What?! S-Shadow!" Knuckles got into a defending stance. "Those are fighting words!"

"They were intended to be."

"Grr… Look, I'm getting real steamed now!" Knuckles's eyes twitched in rage, but there was also sweat of worry… what was Shadow doing here? Threatening Chaos?

"I won't ask a second time… or do you not understand what I'm trying to say?" he lowered his head, looking like he was having fun interrogating a God, before lurching forward to punch Knuckles's gut.

"AH..!" Knuckles had blocked momentarily too late, Shadow being too fast for him.

He winced back at the pain of the jab but quickly threw Shadow off of him. "HUURRAHH!"

Shadow spun back and landed with ease, holding the Emerald up again. "You're trying my patience… I know Eggman stole a manuscript from the Mystic Ruins… I know it has something to do with you, too."

Chaos dipped himself even further down, rage boiling him from the inside as his whole body was bursting with bubbles streaming up his body.

"Gr…erk… You were snooping around… my people's temples?!" he was really getting ticked off now, gripping his stomach's side and getting his free fist ready for another sucker-punch. He stepped forward, "You..! I've had my hands full with this silent problem not leaving me be and trying to leave the island as it is!"

"…Leaving..?" Shadow's eyes widened suddenly in realization.

"Yeah. And it's my duty to keep him here… So either you take that sorry smug off your face and leave… or I'll throw you off the edge MYYYSEEELLLFF!" he came full blown after Shadow, dashing up and jumping to throw a punch at him.

"Hmph." Shadow jumped as Knuckles crushed the altar's foundation underneath where he once stood. "Chaos Control!" he teleported below the altar, confusing Knuckles.

"Huh? Heh, cheap tricks!"

"You're both full of them." He said this slightly under breath, before standing upright and looking much less hostile. "I agree to a civil understanding. I'll yield… for now."

"For now? A civil, what? YOU GET BACK UP HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN, COWARD!" Knuckles stomped his foot down, about to rush down the stairs before seeing Chaos eager to follow him.

"Ah! Hey! No! You can't come with me! You have to stay here! No-I mean- back in the Master Emerald!" he was now stomping around behind him, away from Shadow, acting like a child throwing a tantrum.

Chaos looked annoyed again, as Knuckles slammed back into him and tried to scoot him once more back towards the Master Emerald.

He bubbled up again.

"Grr… I don't care how much you garble like a brook! You're not going anywhere!"

"He's trying to find the source of those lights power too… He wasn't calling anyone." Shadow began putting two and two together, getting intense again.

"They were calling him."

A Chaos Rift streaked through the sky.

Since the floating island was close enough, it was level to them already, sending a blast of it's rippling wave straight through Shadow.

He lurched back, quivering at the warm light that radiated the chaos he was fused with to create himself and soar a feeling and power he'd never experienced before.

"Wha…What's happening..?" he felt invigorated as if energy just flowed through him as it all at once passed and flew through Knuckles, Chaos, and the chao as well.

The chao looked to each other before the wave passed them and they were blown over, giggling and rubbing their tummies as they seemed to have the same effect.

Knuckles leaned back, feeling the effects and trying to resist them, although they relaxed every muscle and filled him with zero-weariness, absolute focus, and a feeling of peace. "GRRRR… WHAT IS THIS THING!?"

The wave continued to ripple as Chaos's head leaned up towards the sky, letting a ringing sound escape from himself as his eyes glowed.

The Master Emerald was touched and suddenly a massive light force escaped from it, blasting the Emerald in Shadow's hand clean out of his grasp.

"Ah..!" Shadow looked behind him to see the Chaos Emerald curling its trajectory and landing with a few tinks upon the ground. It rolled towards itself, being magnetically pulled towards the light of the Master Emerald.

Chaos was losing control, it seemed. His eyes blared to life with an emerald green that shone as brightly as that of the Master Emerald. It was like he was crying out…

Suddenly, a pink hue glistened within the Master Emerald, and Chaos's chest rose with its light as well.

He then cried out another metallic pitch as he threw his arms down in front of him, and a powerful Chaos Wave flew back over the island and through the sky again, knocking everyone down, and this time… not such a pleasant feeling…

It left them drained, feeling ill, and bruised.

It was an awful feeling… compared to the light they first endured.

Knuckles, having been thrown back to the edge of the stairs again, felt his legs finally come down and rolled his spine upwards. "Ugghh… What was that?" he held his head, "That wasn't pleasant at all." He shook his head and looked back to Chaos.

"Ah! Chaos, you're-!"

Chaos looked as though he was panting, his shoulders moving up and down as his body completely arched over in a hunch towards the ground. His body… was melting.

Little pieces of himself dripped down onto the yellowish stone foundation, but the Master Emerald now shined with a lesser light… a pink vortex, like galaxy lights, radiated and spun inside itself.

Knuckles slowly got up, mesmerized by its beauty. "Woah… I didn't know you could do that…" he seemed innocent to it all, staring into it like that, before Shadow speedily sped passed him and gripped Chaos's throat, struggling to contain him.

"Who are you trying to contact!?" Shadow demanded before Chaos shook in his grasp, clamping his watery claw on his arm, and began to slowly rip it away from him.

In amazement, Shadow's eyes shook in wonder as he tried to resist Chaos's pure power.

Even in his weaker form… Chaos lifted Shadow up by his arm, stretching his body up into one pillar of water, his other arm morphing into his body as he stared dangerously into Shadow's eyes.

Shadow's whole body flinched… he was made of the same power as Chaos and yet…

Chaos was still a God…

(More to come! Stay tuned ;D)


	3. Chapter 3

Sonic and The Harmony of Chaos

Chapter 3

By: Cutegirlmayra (I split these chapters up. Tell me if you like smaller chapters, yeah?)

"Shadow!"

"Gr..rghk… R-Rouge?"

As he struggled, his feet dangling in the air, and oxygen passing by his throat at wavering intervals, he could hear the flapping of large bat wings.

"Let him go, you big bully!"

Rouge spun a kick into Chaos's head, drilling her sharp-ended heart-shoe right into his brain, piercing his liquid hide and causing him to release Shadow from his bonds.

He reeled back with another roar of metallic shrieks, turning away and having his watery appendage morph back into his tall pillared self.

He turned away, shaking his head as Rouge caught her falling friend and flew him safely down.

"Rouge! I should have known you were behind this too!" Knuckles rushed up, accusing her and shaking his fist around, flapping his gums off…

"Oh, Shut up!" she hollered back over her shoulder, "You really should learn to not cry out things you don't even understand!"

"Why you-!"

"Because I saw those flashing lights bounce off from here, that's why!"

"N-no, I meant… ah, forget it." He flopped his fists down and folded his arms, looking away from the two as he smushed his lips back and forth over the other in a grumpy fashion.

"Rouge…" Shadow twitched his head up, seeing his vision blurred from lack of oxygen.

"It's okay, Shadow… I'm here." Rouge looked down kindly towards him, smiling lightly.

Knuckles turned back to notice the sweet exchange, before flipping out and approaching the two again after blinking his eyes back and frowning at the closeness. "I-I don't understand! Why are you both sneaking around Angel Island?!"

"Ugh… The ruins… they didn't have anything…" He leaned up a bit, before Chaos turned back around, and was about to lunge at them again before a ball of light spun out from the Master Emerald and dangled itself around his head, stopping him.

The red ball spirited passed him then, after speaking, "They know not the cause for your aggression, Chaos! Please… I beg of you… let me help them understand…"

Her words coaxed the God back… as she hovered just slightly closer to him. "We will truly restore Harmony this time… I have you given you my vow…" as the light withdrew from his face, Chaos returned to his original form, and looked away, bubbling as he stomped off towards the edge of the Altar's highest foundation, and waited.

"Did that light… speak?" Rouge felt something familiar stir in her memories, but the Tikal's spirit dangled over them and circled.

They were all momentarily teleported into a vision, as Shadow remained sitting on the ground, Rouge letting go of his head once she saw him able to move about a bit better in front of her.

"These are the ruin of my people… the destruction of Order, which was the unity of the world… Harmony and Chaos…" All around them, they saw they were above large fires and people screaming. Ultimate Chaos bellowed out a powerful blast that carved large ridges into the earth.

"I couldn't stop my father… and Chaos destroyed and destroyed… without Harmony able to restore what was lost… Balance became distorted… and Chaos's rage grew and grew… as their creations began controlling more and more of his will."

The water dragon shook its mighty head, an ear-piercing sound before the Chief grinned and held up an Emerald. "By Harmony's light!" he cried out, "Chaos… be controlled!"

Chaos reeled his head back but looked at the cowering tribes below.

"Wipeout our enemies! Give us the land we have come to claim!"

A child clung to its mother…

"In that moment… Chaos's heart became hardened to all its creations…"

He swung his head back, before firing down on the village again.

"The destruction left only grief and ruin… Another Emerald was forgotten… the only one that could appease nature's delicate order was lost… for what seemed like forever. Without her gift of life, Chaos's destructive rage could not be challenged nor appeased, and his heart sank deeper and deeper into its darkened state…"

The three were already pretty shaken by the image they had witnessed but looked to see Chaos bound to the Master Emerald, huddled in darkness before turning his head to a metallic ring.

"The Chaos Emeralds may have been a deceit to wield the power of the Gods… but one Emerald remained uncontrolled. Since she'd been weakened when Chaos was forced to destroy a piece of her power,… she had been in isolation within the very caves my brothern mined the Chaos Emeralds… before she granted power unto the lifeless stones…"

Now the three beheld that they were traveling in a ghost-like image towards the center of a large cavern within a mountain. Deep in its belly… there lay the sparkling cave, but there wasn't a Crystal hanging from its ceiling any longer. "This forgotten Deity has been freed from her exile… but the abilities she gave to wield Chaos have once again been used for wicked purposes by her creations. Order has been challenged. History will repeat it's duel if Chaos is to battle her once more. She mustn't be injured again. If she is destroyed, then all life will cease to exist!" the vision blasted the three, causing them to cry out in a bit of fright and shook, as they were quickly taken to what seemed like a futuristic time.

"All the lives that she had given the breath of life too… will be drained in hopes of granting her power to fight against Chaos for strength." Tikal revealed herself, before millions of girls behind her… falling over and fainting. "All life she created…"

Suddenly, Rouge felt weak and began to topple over, as Shadow and Knuckles quickly rushed to her aid, holding her up. "Rouge!" they cried out in unison.

She twitched under an unknown power…

Tikal's face grew hardened in compassionate fear, "She will pull that life… unwillingly out of every female that still breathes… Out of every plant, out of every substance that gives life such as air and water… For it is Blood that gives life… and water that sustains that life. This is how Order is run. By the waters of destruction… that fill what is needed for life to begin."

She spread out her arms, the vision glowing around them before they were transported back to the shrine, her body forming into a prayer-like stance as her hands came together… then her body faded into a glowing ball of light again.

"Blood gives life… Water sustains that life… Blood gives Life… Water sustains that life…"

Shadow and Knuckles watched Tikal's light fade in horror, as Rouge slowly came too.

"U…Ugh…" she gripped her head, "What on earth was that..?"

"Rouge…" The two looked down at her, but Shadow spoke up after Knuckles's worried reply.

"If Chaos is the water that sustains the balance of life and death… then… this other God… it wields the balance of what is already alive. In other words… Creation." Shadow began to get up, helping Rouge to her feet.

"You mean…" Knuckles also helped her from behind.

"The extinction of all life… The stale state of existence with no birth… no livable substance." Shadow shook his head, turning angrily to Chaos, a fist tightening as he held it up. "Which means… tsk. This is bigger than just Eggman! What is he doing with a power that can create anything!?"

"If that… thing can do all that… Then in order to restore balance to the world's.. uh… Order… she'll have to suck dry the entirety of the planet to equal what she lost from Chaos's attack?" Rouge thought she had gathered something from the vision of the two fighting, and all those women collapsing… but the aches that swelled in her kept her from fully being attentive.

"Seems so." Knuckles looked worried. "But then…" he looped one of Rouge's arms over his shoulders, hoisting her up half way and then looking to Shadow, having Rouge look to him with a blush.

His chivalry didn't go unnoticed by her…

"We need to find Sonic and Tails! Tell them what Eggman's up to and stop this deity from doing exactly what Chaos started! Destroying the world!"

"In a way, I suppose that's what it will do." Shadow looked down at the ground, lowering his fist as he thought of Maria's life being taken away… of how Rouge looked…

Only he knew what dying looked like…

"We have to stop it." He looked vindictive in this statement. "Before it leaves all mankind without any hope of survival. Of generations to come."

"Taking life already made… using it to power herself… You don't think that spirit was suggesting that Eggman would use this God to purposefully fight Chaos? She said that God wasn't strong enough to do so!" Rouge looked annoyed, not seeing the facts add up. "How on earth are we suppose to bring those two together then?"

"Unwillingly… The spirit implied the fight wouldn't be by choice… If we somehow freed this deity from Eggman's grasps… she could combine her strength with Chaos to restore what has been lost." He looked down to his side, '…Would that suggesting resurrection?'

"Shadow…" Rouge noticed him not speaking, his mind suddenly rampaging with thoughts of Maria's life being returned to her.

His eyes suddenly darted to reality, and nodded to her concern, "Knuckles is right… we need to find Sonic."

"Then… you'll join the cause?" Rouge was now speaking more about G.U.N. "We could really use you on this one." She got up, but didn't part from Knuckles's help, which he didn't seem to notice was an issue anyway…

"… I'll take your offer." He turned back to her, holding out his hand, "If you abandon G.U.N's mission."

"What?!" She stepped back, now letting go of Knuckles's hold on her, causing him to look to her arm and then back at her.

"Hey!" he realized then that she had been faking needing his support.

"For now… anyway." Shadow kept his hand extended, "I'll need you to do something far more important for me..."

"Hmm?" She rose her eyebrow up, "Like… what?"

"First… I'll need my software back." He looked a little annoyed he had to wait for so long.

"Ah! Ohh..! Haven't you learned anything!?" she looked extremely insulted, before huffing and holding back the reins on her anger, taking the device out and smirking smugly as she held it with two fingers,… swaying it up by her face. "How do you ask a lady..?"

Her eye twitched then in fury.

"Properly."

-Eggman's Hidden Headquarters-

Back in the large, empty, hallowed rooms of Eggman's domain…

Robots remained motionless as lights flared out with cries of horrific torture from within a holding area.

Eggman's goggles shone with each color that passed them, clicking a button down as the crystal was shocked by the three Chaos Emeralds.

Orbot and Cubot flinch with each painful, metallic ringing of a cry as their whole circuits are affected by her screeches.

"Make it stop…" Cubot whines.

"This is outrageous!" Orbot removes his hands from where his ears would have been placed and floated over to Eggman.

"Hurts… doesn't it?" Eggman grinned devilishly. "This is nothing… compared to what I have in store for you…"

"Doctor, this is torture!"

"I know."

"But you're not even giving her any instruction on what you want her to create! At least… give her a blueprint to fashion your creation out of! What are you thinking? Are you just… expecting her to create it out of thin-air!?"

"…Oh?" he let the button his thumb was pressing down release, as the crystals cry slowly monotoned out and bounced along the walls.

"I'm not asking her to make me anything, yet, Orbot."

"B-but… the torture…" he twiddled his fingers, "I don't understand…"

Eggman's lips curled.

"This is just intimidation."

He pressed the button again.

Another painful cry escaped the holding chamber, as the electric green pulses from the Emeralds shocked the Crystal trapped in its metal case.

He spread his arms out wide, his goggles still on and blocking his delicate eyes from the harmful rays of light.

"Behold! Gods CAN feel pain!"

The ringing began to increase in volume and pitch, causing Eggman's body to twitch as he suddenly couldn't handle the high frequency.

He released the button.

"Ugh, a light show for sure. But any more of that ringing in my ear and I might just go deaf." He wiggled his pinkie finger in his ear, before pouting and walking to the door.

"Alright, enough fun."

He smirked and removed his goggles, having his glasses be adjusted a second before putting his hands on some levers and contraptions.

"Now,… I'm fairly certain there's a way to remove you from that crystal… considering Chaos had a weaker form before being in physical contact with the rest of his powerful body that's locked in the Chaos Emeralds. Oh, how little did I know then! But good thing I like to keep an open mind about sequels."

He laughed as he pulled the three Chaos emeralds to one side, the metal casing folding away like a flower from the crystal and opening the room up to its deadly powers.

"AHHH!" Orbot and Cubot held one another. "H-he's releasing her from the crystal!"

"The 8th Emerald is a terrible name." he began, pulling down cranks and shoving up levers, spinning other devices and pressing multiple buttons, stepping on something like a pump beneath him as another machine came down, looking like it was to extract the God… "There were multiple Emeralds… I've seen them myself. Stole a few in the past too. But over time they began to die and dwindle off… And you know why, don't you, my little.. Haaaarrmony?"

He purposefully emphasized that part of her name, before charging up what looked like a descending laser. Massive around it's back, but precise and tight in its front barrel.

"I don't like it when I can't see the face of my 'ethereal' slave…"

He shot out the laser, which split into five energy beams that jagged like the electricity of the Chaos Emeralds.

Using the Emeralds as a barrier from any 'backlash' she may throw, Eggman grinned even wider in excitement when the forcefield from the three's power were activated.

The energies moved like long, zig-zagging fingers that slowly concentrated themselves to the crystal, digging easily through the crystal's hot surface and reaching in to where the blood and air mixed.

A figure began to form, looking as though it was running the opposite way before a mass of pink and red began to be pulled from the crystal.

The light in the crystal faded…

"Those other Chaos Emeralds were DRAINED of their power… slowly running dry as time went on… I wonder who could have taken and hoisted all that power..!?"

Eggman turned his face in towards her slowly morphing form, showing a round head that split out two long triangles like ears that rested down from her head. Patterns were formed out of the blood that moved like irregular bubbles in her pink fluid, and her eyes crystalized into the red ovals that Chaos bore, but in a different color. Her body was more feminine than that of Chaos, but still blobbish like his own. Her feet and one arm formed then as the patterns seemed to only consist on her head and triangular appendages that came down from it…

She looked around, her eyes revealing her emotions to seem scared and hurt.

The energy held her in as she looked down to Eggman, her blood making bubbling noises that were strangely different than Chaos's…

Her eyes bent back to reveal her suffering, and for a moment, even Orbot and Cubot fell for their pleas…

Eggman was unphased, holding his hands behind his back, he revealed the button still in his hands, held by a wired chord that trailed around him. "Obey?"

Her eyes widened.

He removed his thumb, his eyebrow going up. "And you don't get shocked."

She closed her eyes in relief.

"But if you don't…" his voice grew grave as he leaned his head forward, before laughing as he clicked the button down.

Seeing her form being shocked, terrorized Orbot and Cubot, who looked away and ducked their heads, unable to bear this awful sight.

"I can't look! It's not the same as hurting a rock!"

"You idiot!" Orbot shook his head, "She's tied to the rock! The rock is made of the same material that the Chaos Emeralds are made of!"

"Say what!?" Cubot leaned up, looking to his friend, before turning around, "Ahh!" seeing the image and ducking down again, trembling.

"If my prediction is correct… the Chaos Emeralds still hold the power of Chaos's destructive force. Not just time and space powers… they hold the source necessary to contain half a god's strength."

"I'm.. not.. following~!" Cubot whined out, trying to sing through the cries of pain behind him as if saying in an obnoxious way- 'I'm not listening! Neh, neh!'.

"SHE'S BEING PULLED APART!" Orbot cried out, "The Emeralds were used to contain the power of the God's! She's being ripped from her own body by the Emeralds trying to pull her into them! By three different avenues!"

"This really is torture!"

"Exactly...!"

"On my ears! My whole metal frame is rumbling!"

"Ah! You still don't get it!"

Eggman's clutch on the device shook and he suddenly released his thumb from the handle.

He had covered his eyes, but was panting…

Was something wrong?

He tried to chuckle… but felt the air in the room get a little…

Thin.

"Clever… You're oh, so clever… hahh…haa… Taking the oxygen out of the room isn't very nice."

He put his hand over his mouth, realizing then that as he looked up, she was twitching in the fingers of the lasers.

"…Haaa…haahahaa hoo… whooohoo…Ugh."

In a moment of compassion, he turned off the lasers.

She fell to the ground, splattering into liquid ooze that sizzled a moment… but didn't steam.

She began to reform, trying to desperately lift her head up.

The soft, weakened cry of her would draw anyone to having compassion on her.

It was faint was pleasing to the ear.

The ring was musical, but also the sound of a suffering creature, still alien to the ear however…

Eggman stepped back,… feeling his lungs struggling, he looked to Cubot and Orbot.

"Don't let her… soft hums… fool you.." he leaned over his control panel, beginning to move to the door. "She's the mother of all living… sure… but she's not fooling me."

He waddled out of the room, gasping for air, coughing as he tried to breathe.

"She's a killer!.. haha… she's been draining power to try and regain the power to break free and restore Order… too bad I'll use all that stored energy to destroy it!" he tried to laugh but choked, rushing to his eggpod and fleeing his headquarters for fresh air.

Once the coast was clear, Cubot and Orbot hurried down to her, feeling sorry for the Goddess.

"Your majesty?" Cubot blinked his eyes in concern, trying to lift her only arm up. "Please get up!"

The soft hum and wavering head that desperately tried to lift itself only revealed her terrible condition to be severe.

"Cubot, hold her head." Orbot lovingly directed, as Cubot nodded and shifted, dropping her arm.

"Oh! Sorry!" he moved quickly over and helped bring her head up.

Her soft, half closed gaze looked as though she was struggling… Her head body bobbing up and down as if trying to just keep its form together.

"Please, just do as the Doc says!" Orbot pleaded, coming over to her eyes. He held his hands together, "If you don't, he'll only hurt you more!"

She weakly opened her eyes to him, before closing them again.

"Do you think she understands?" Cubot looked to his friend, who shook his head.

"I can't say… we're not living, breathing creatures… she probably can't understand what we're even made of." Orbot shrugged in a broken's man stance, before looking up to see the door open.

"We can't let her escape though." Orbot looked determined, "It's in our programming…"

Cubot sighed, softly switching her head to Orbot's and going up to the door…

With every amount of regret a robot could reveal on his face… he reached up to the handle… and slowly… closed… the door.

(two in one night! Baller~)


	4. Chapter 4

Sonic and The Harmony of Chaos

Ch. 4

By: Cutegirlmayra (Hey, hey, hey! I'm doing a Instagram Livestream and Discord Event after I finish some of these updates. For more information, PM me or message me on Tumblr! I'm excited for it and I'm excited for these new updates! As always, stay tuned~3)

Tails groaned as he put down his toolbox, locking it up while Sonic leaned against his bedroom door. "Amy…" Exasperated, he seemed at his wit's end.

Emotionally drained, he leaned his whole face into the door, "Please, just come out?"

"Sonic, why are you two even here?" Tails walked down the small hall and gestured his arms out for an explanation. "Amy just came barging in here, screaming her head off with tears about something, and then you followed after."

Sonic just rolled his eyes to him, a sad frown upon his face before he leaned away when hearing some movement in the room.

His ears perked and he slid his head to the side to let his ear lean against the door. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Sonic! I looked like a… a… a pitiful sack of unwanted… I don't know! That's how bad I looked like!" a muffled reply of heartache sounded from the other side, and once again, Sonic's face drooped with a sweatdropped.

Tails stood annoyed, still staring Sonic down for an explanation.

"Well?"

Sonic leaned away at last, keeping a hand on the door and rubbed his face. "I apparently missed a date I wasn't informed of."

"I told you where to meet me!"

"You didn't say it was a date."

"You slept through it!"

"I was tried! A man can't sleep?" Sonic wasn't raising his voice, even to be heard through the door. He knew Amy was attentively honing on his replies anyway, so he didn't feel the need too.

He looked tried, seeming to just try and resolve this matter or mess he had unknowingly walked into and created for himself.

"Please, just open the door…" He slumped forward, "Tails doesn't deserve this…"

"No… I really don't." Tails, in a moment of pity for his best friend, rubbed the bridge of his brows and walked away, deciding to let whatever drama Amy wanted to play out… well… play out.

"I'm going back to work on the X-Tornado."

"Tails…" Sonic looked back to him, a hopeless man stuck in the middle of a woman's sorrowful and idealistic complex.

Tails just waved, already walking off and having Sonic behind him.

It was as if he was saying, 'this is your mess, I'm out of here.'

Sonic crashed his shoulder against the door again, folding his hands but still rubbing his face. He found some sleep at the corner of his eye and flicked it off and away from his finger.

"Just let me in, Amy."

"I waited… I waited so long that someone tried to hand me money. Money! They thought I was… was homeless or something! Ohhh-ho-hooo…" she whined out her sorrows again, crying with her signature whines, but even then it granted some sympathy to anyone who heard it.

"Oh, don't cry…" Sonic finally let the drama get to him, whining right back as he flopped the upper-half of his body down and let his arms slouch down and dangle a moment.

Finally, he brought himself back to an upright position and stuck out his chest, not letting this get him down any longer. "I'm gonna bust down the door, Amy."

"No he's not!" Tails's voice shouted from the garage.

Sonic made a face, comical to say the least, before sighing and spreading his arms out again. "Come on, Amy… I didn't know!"

"How could you not know!?"

"Ugh…" he walked away from the door, unable to handle the sad fact that he was the reason she was crying.

He made his way to the garage, leaning against the door frame, still looking weary from trying to make amends with Amy.

"…They gave her money, huh?" Tails joked, trying to lighten the mood as he looked up to Sonic, raising an eyebrow.

"…Yeah… must have been a while." Sonic kept flicking the sleep out of his eyes.

"You know,… if you really did fall asleep and forget about it, then it is your fault." Tails jumbled his head around as though making a slight point that rang true, but Sonic just looked away and out at the opened garage door… gazing at the freedom of a nice, sunny day and a rolling wind that tumbled over green, grassy fields… just waiting for him to tread along.

He seemed highly distracted, his mind somewhere else as Tails sighed again, getting back to his work as he sat on his spinning stool.

"Sometimes… I wonder if you hear anyone at all."

"I hear ya, Tails… But that's the problem." Sonic scratched the top of his head, bringing it down so he could do so.

He wandered on over to where Tails was working, his hands on his hips and feeling the faint breeze that passed along and into the hot workplace.

"Sometimes… Amy just…" Sonic tilted his head, perhaps restraining from saying something to harsh.

Tails turned to look over his shoulder behind himself, wondering if he'd continue. "What?"

Sonic motioned with his hand a constant chatter of talking, and Tails rolled his eyes, but continued to watch the pantomiming.

"And sometimes I just…" Sonic looked off, back towards the mystic ruins in the distance and the train station. "Yeah… uh-huh… okay." He even put in the shrug, but then tapped his head and looked to Tails.

"You're emotionally not present." Tails smiled.

"I guess you could call it whatever you want, Tails. But… I just don't always pay attention. I get distracted. I like to just… stare at the beautiful world around me. Amy has to … to… talk about everything and anything!" Sonic took a few steps, talking with his hands as in motioning them about as he spoke. Then, he seemed to vent a little with his actions and show the chaos of her rambling as he threw his arms in loops all around him.

He shook his head, "Sometimes… I wonder if I can just have a peaceful moment with Amy… Just once, I'd like to hear nothing from her. Or if she does talk, it's nice and not about something to do, something she wants me to do, or something about us all together!" he threw his arms around him again, moving quickly with his gestures before pacing back to Tails. "I don't know, Tails… It's hard. I can't tell her it's hard cause it'll only hurt her feelings…"

He rubbed the back of his head, looking away as though ashamed but in a predicament.

"You have… a certain way of life, Sonic." Tails bobbed his head again, keeping his eyes down and exhaling a moment, just slightly louder than normal. It could have been seen as a sigh, but it was more a reflex to stopping himself, really thinking out his words as he spun in stool back to his inventions he was tinkering with.

As he got back to work, he continued to speak, knowing Sonic was at least listening to this much. "No worries can sometimes translate to not caring. I know that's not true, and so does Amy, but… it's hard to just 'talk' to you sometimes. You don't go deep. And Amy wants deep." He nodded back to Sonic, as Sonic stood behind him once again, looking torn at his words and then away back to the open fields again.

"Amy wants something called 'meaning'. We just talk and don't really have much to say. We hang out, sure… but Amy's 'hanging out' is a little more… invested… then we're used too."

"Heh. You got that right." Sonic kept his arms folded, but finally looked away from both scenes around him and just stared at the plane, looking up at the corners of its design.

He then shook his head and turned back to Tails, looking more sympathetic. "How do I keep her happy without losing my own?"

That question seemed to cause Tails to look straight ahead, up and away from his work.

He slowly turned back to Sonic with an open mouth, as though ready to say something, but decided against it.

He looked down, "I… can't solve your problems for you every time… Sonic."

"…I know." Sonic turned away again, "I don't mean you to, Tails."

"Yeah… I know." Tails rubbed the back of his neck for a minute… before an idea popped into his head.

"Hey! I bet you could start by doing something that both you and Amy like to do!"

"Oh..!" Sonic looked mildly intrigued, turning back to Tails. "Like what?" he gestured out.

Tails's excited face suddenly froze and disappeared, "…I don't know. Don't you two have anything in common?" he turned his hands as if asking for some help on the subject.

Sonic looked at the ground, energy built up from standing around and his feet started 'pitter-pattering' on the floor as he tapped on the arches of his feet. They never rose from the ground too much, it wasn't like he was lifting his foot. But as he quickly tapped them at different intervals, he leaned his body down, bending as he closed his eyes and thought.

Tails watched the strange 'thinking' pattern that Sonic did and chuckled slightly, realizing his friend was extremely expressive, and less so with words.

"Ugh, I can't think of anything but cloud watching…" Sonic leaned up with a disappointed groan as he arched himself back to stare at the ceiling. "Does this mean I'm doomed?" he comedically spread his arms out and flopped them down limp by his sides, smacking them against himself. He certainly looked out of ideas and compromises weren't his forte.

"Haha..! You're on your own there, buddy." Tails patted his back and turned back to his work.

Sonic slouched down, sighing, and kicked his feet out as he walked back inside.

He went back to the bedroom door, "Amy… Can we just … talk about this?" He decided to just get it over with. Suck up, if he had too.

But when he didn't hear anything, his sad little frown suddenly rose into a curious, neutral expression. "Amy?"

He leaned slightly forward to listen through the door.

Nothing…

His eyes blinked and his face scrunched slightly, wondering she was even there.

He moved quietly, reaching for the knob.

He wiggled it, and it wasn't locked.

His eyes shot wide for a split second before back to wondering what was going on.

Did she unlock the door?

He slowly opened the creaking door, peering in before swinging it wide, "Huh!?" she was gone!

He walked around the room, checking under the bed, seeing that there wasn't the slightest indication that she was there.

"Hmm…" Curious about where she ran off too, he placed his hands on his hips and stopped his investigation. "Hey, Tails!" he cried out, still looking around the room while not moving much. He just leaned to try and glance into the open closet and then the window, seeing it was closed and bolted, so that wasn't an option.

"Yeah?"

"Did you see Amy walk out just now?"

"No… Is she gone?"

"Yeah… must of booked it." Sonic smiled, "She must have. Considering the door was open to the garage…" he walked around some more, looking for some clues but finding none.

He got distracted by Tails's collection of planes and old-time pictures of themselves… before seeing one that had been taken down and placed on the desk.

Taking a closer look, he picked it up and noticed it was one with everyone in it, Knuckles, Tails, himself, and…

"Oh, Amy…"

With a lovable tone, he shook his head and looked fondly to the tear marks on the photo…

His smile softened while he ignored Tails for a moment, pining the photo back in its place on the wall.

"There aren't any tears or snot on my pillow, is there? Sonic?"

Sonic had a new resolve in his eyes, speeding out the door, "See ya around, Tails!"

"H-hey! What about the mess you two made!" Tails spun his twin tails as he raced out the garage's open door and saw Sonic bolt out the front, speeding off in search of Amy.

"Hmph." He let the tension in his shoulders drop and then shook his own head. "Amy… why do you have to make him think so much…" Tails turned back to his work, rolling his eyes. "You want him to be romantic and civilized, but that's not really who he is. He's more like… Tarzan." He laughed at his joke, moving back over to his creation. "And you're like the Little Mermaid."

Amy raced into the jungle, wiping her tears as she moved loose and hanging branches out of her way.

"He's like the earth, and you're like water."

She found herself by a huge lake and stared out over her. Birds took off from before her and she stared at the marvelous sight, admiring a moment the world around her.

"You both coexist. But it's hard for you to understand each other. But you do find some joy in it all."

She heard a twig snapped and quickly looked behind her, seeming a bit frightened and took off running again, panting as she went.

"You both can share the same sky… the same horizon and sunset… If you stopped pushing and colliding against each other then…"

She heard some form of engines and feared Eggman, ducking down and dropping to her stomach, covering her head while Extreme Gears flew by her. She was covered by the large, green foliage and was completely out of sight. When her head popped up, gasping at seeing the Babylon Rogues taking interest in the ruins, she narrowed her sights and wondered what they were up too.

She was led by a feeling of adventure, and getting up to look behind her, she slowly creeped after them. She stayed low and hunched mostly but began to make her way after them. Spying… it wasn't something she liked, but she knew how to not be seen…

"We wouldn't have the world we now live in."

-Eggman's Secret Lair-

Finally showing some signs of rebellion and anger, Harmony reached her one, claw like arm up and pulled herself against the Chaos energy that tried to suck her form into themselves.

Literally being pulled apart, she willed herself up, hoisting herself off her one arm to lean up as her head reared and a metallic, piercing shriek filled the room.

Cubot and Orbot stood back. Fear replacing pity as they looked to Eggman's smirking grin.

"There… now we see you finally making a comeback." He clicked a button and a few more lasers came down, threatening to harm her as well.

"What do you think he's trying to accomplish by splitting her up?" Orbot looked to Cubot. "Do you think he's trying to steal her in the Chaos Emeralds? Much like with Chaos?"

"No, you fools." Eggman grumbled, causing them to shake back and flinch in fright.

"He can hear with all that shrieking?" Cubot commented as Eggman let out another signature laugh.

"Chaos and Harmony can't exist in the Chaos Emeralds together. One is of another substance, and just like oil to water, they can't merge in this form…"

"This… form?" Orbot seemed confused.

"Whohoho… just like man and woman… they cannot co-exist, due to the flesh. But by forsaking and mixing their two potential energies…" he watched as Harmony struggled, growing more enraged as her eyes blared the red coloring of her eyes and her body began to shone in light.

"Yyyeeess… Release all that energy you've collected over the years… through the emeralds, the lives of this world, and the power that is so wrongfully being forced within you…" His grin only lengthened as he moved closer to the protective, sheer window… He put an oxygen mask on, a safety procession from last time, and placed shaded googles that were broad and had no bridge, but the entire shades were one, rectangular screen.

Finally succumbing to his torture, Harmony rises up and bends her back, crying out a painful sound as power is suddenly shone out from her being.

For a split second, everywhere… a booming pulse drops all women to the ground. A light rises from them, drifts into the sky, and is blasted all towards one particular area…

"Wave!"

Jet and Storm turn their Extreme Gears, stopping their rides towards the Mystic Ruins as Wave crashes and falls to the ground.

Unknowingly, Amy also fell to the ground, some of her essence rises up and blasts like aurora lights, each translucent but having a shade of iridescent… a prominent color shining through, however.

For Amy it was a pink, for Wave it was a purple…

The lights shift and change as they move through the air, collecting and spiraling down as they move through Eggman's hidden headquarters and are harnessed by an enraged Harmony.

"What a wipeout!" Storm laughs, coming back and checking on her.

She struggles on the ground, feeling exceptionally weak all the sudden and clawing the ground to try and move again.

"Gnarly crash there, Wave… unlike you though, being so precise and all…" Jet rides around her, before looking down to see something's wrong with her.

"Wave?" He stopped his circling fully, tilting the tip of his Extreme Gear up before jumping off. "Wave!"

Storm's laugh suddenly falters into worry, "Ha..ha…ho, ho!" he stumbles down to the moist, ancient jungle ground and helps turn her to her back.

"Wave! Say something!" Jet calls out to her, seeing her breathing heavily and hot to the touch.

"Is it a concussion?" Storm nervously lifts a hand up to his mouth, attempting to bite his nails in stress and panic but Jet just glares at him and whacks his trembling hand away.

"You idiot! This isn't normal! Go make yourself useful and find something to rest her head on!"

"R-right, boss!" Storm stumbled up, bouncing on one foot for a moment before regaining balance and charging off before Wave finally came too.

"No… No, don't… I'm… I'm fine." She tried to lean up, but her head got dizzy and her hand moved to it. "What on… earth..?" she fell back and Jet caught her, seeing Storm look behind him and start racing back.

"She's okay!?"

"No! She's… she's… Well, I don't know what's going on! Wave?! Explain yourself!" he shook her to try and keep her eyes open, but her expression turned from weakening pain to suddenly growing agitation.

"Quick squawking right in my face. I told you I was fine, didn't I?!" she was right back to her old self, but needed help as she tried to get on her feet.

"Ugh…uhh…" she looked around her, growing embarrassed as the her two friends had their arms outstretched, ready to catch her and also helping her up.

"Wave…" Jet bit down on his beak, but it was clear he was calling her bluff.

She breathed heavily a moment, definite fear in her eyes as she felt her body… knowing something wasn't quite right… but didn't dare speak about it.

As her eyes flickered a moment of pride, she gritted through the pain and shoved them off of her.

"Don't you dare look at me like some sorry case! What? A girl takes a tumble and suddenly I'm in need of a male nurses!?" she ruffled her feathers off, clear body language not to touch her again.

The two men looked to one another, and turned to get their boards.

"Well, then… Pick up your board. We'll meet walk to the ruins from here." Jet sharply countered back with a spitfire challenge.

"Walking..?" she breathed out, a moment of tenderness in her eyes before shaking it away from her. "What do you mean, walking!? We're riding! We're riders!" she clenched her fist and stomped her foot down, growing more upset as Jet turned back to her, kicking her board to let her know where it was…

It was a while to walk… and she realized this was a test…

Her eyes loosened only slightly in their glare… realizing she had to prove she was alright to them…

"…We'll move on ahead. Just don't hold us up too long." Jet's smirk was faked, and as soon as he passed her, it turned to a leader's worry.

Storm already looked like this was being cruel. He could visibly tell Wave was off her game, and looked between her and Jet, before stepping lively when Jet called for him to hurry up.

With them far enough away, she understood the small mercy…

"Heh…" she tried to grin…

He realized her pride wouldn't allow her to ask for help, so he walked away, giving her space to hurt and feel without them seeing it.

But he also was punishing the behavior in a sense… or at least… daring her to prove she could talk that way and get away with it.

"That… was like a million cramps." She muttered, seeing them were far enough away and finally showed some of the pain she had felt. She gripped her lower abdomen, unsure what was that, but knowing it was pain she had never experienced before.

"All at once… I felt years of my life fade away from me… and a strange light… what was glowing all around me?" she placed a hand out in front of her, looking at it.

"Did… Did I get a shade lighter?" she studied the purple on her arms, and then shook her head. "Ugh,… but have been all this humidity."

She went to reach for the board, stumbling and feeling her feet not want to lift off the ground… the heaviness caused her to have to go to her knees, feeling for the board.

"Tsk… Come on. Where did he kick it..?"

She felt something soft and freaked out silently, spreading her beak back and revealing her frightened expression.

She moved some of the long, broad leaves away to see Amy's face, her softly breathing, and looking up to Wave.

"Help…" she then fainted.

The light sparked the interest of Chaos, turning on the boat as Knuckles stirred the drifting of it, rowing occasionally. "You know," He began, "This would be a lot easier if you could help!"

Chaos's head frantically searched the skies, seeing the lights and knowing exactly what that could mean.

He seemed to roar in defiance at whatever this could mean and slashed the air to let out his own signal beam of lights.

The lights, similar to the last rainbowic sonic boom that desperately phoned out to Harmony now trailed off to follow the lights.

As Knuckles continued to try and get the drifting piece of shoddily constructed driftwood to move them closer to land, Chaos lowered himself and dipped a hand into the water.

"W-woah!" Knuckles was pushed back as a wave pushed up against the back of the wood and hurriedly accelerated them towards the shore.

"Well… haha! That's more like it!" Knuckles looked up and saw how fast they were traveling now, before turning back to Chaos with a grin.

His grin faded when he saw the sheer stillness and determination that held Chaos's eyes towards the shore.

He had purpose… but Knuckles finally knew the urgency.

"Your friend's not getting any better, huh?" Knuckles's eyes bent back, trying to share empathy for the God, but failing the mark somewhat. "I can't say I don't blame ya. If I had a Miss… I certainly wouldn't want her being forced to destroy the world." Knuckles sat back up, placing a hand to the top of his head as she let out an exasperated sigh. "Let's just get this over with… save the Goddess Harmony, and restore Order to the planet." He looked a little lazily towards Tails's house. "…Hmm… Wonder if he's even home?"

Harmony compiled the stolen power, though it was originally hers anyway, as her core began to light up into a iridescent ball of energy and lights.

Just like her crystal, it moved and bended like a beautiful light show, but clearly seeing Harmony's stance and her two long appendages behind her head shoot straight up with the amount of power she was absorbing… it was clear this wasn't a beautiful sight at all.

"Harmony!"

Eggman directed her attention back to him as she strained her entire body into a heavy turn to stare at him.

"Create for me..! An Eternal, Robotic Army!" he rotated his hands and then outstretched them skyward, his mad expression in the multicolored lights truly made this more of a dark moment then a bright one.

Harmony's expression turned to one of sorrow… but she outstretched her hand…

A powerful energy rippled the earth…

Jet and Storm stopped as they saw plants around them dying randomly, only a pocket full of them, creating dead spots along the jungle terrain.

"What the-!?"

"Ehh.. B-b-bah-boss..?!"

"Grr!"

Jet pivoted with a stomp towards where Wave was, glaring with a clear concern on his face as he saw her using her floating Extreme Gear as support while she moved, carrying Amy along it's surface…

His eyes opened wider and he lost his glare, wondering what on earth was going on…

-Within the Mineral Cave-

The crystals and materials that once formed the Chaos Emeralds suddenly shone and protruded from the ground, crashing and shaking the cave around them…

The robots that were still around were shaking in fear, having been abandoned from mining the cave after Eggman felt their purpose was served… standing around, they tried to scurry out of the cave, but were being merged with the crystals.

Harmony shook herself up, reaching towards the Crystal that was her imprisonment…

The Crystal shone and the power shot into it…

As it was being restored, Harmony quivered and shook… before blasting her power out as the Robots at the cave were mutated and glowed the same energy force.

Transformed, their rocky and metallic bodies, merged unnaturally, were now pumping oil and molten rock through their wires and the caverns carved from half their rocky bodies. No two creatures looked the same now… one could have a robotic arm mixed with some rocky surfaces, while another could have retained its robotic eye but have a glowing green rocky socket as the other eye.

They breathed, for the first time, dust out their stony and metallic prisons before marching or emerging from their fallen states towards Eggman's lair.

"Emerald Giants…" Orbot's entire frame watched in awe and horror as the monitors revealed the massive amounts of Rock and Steel marching their bulky ways in Eggman's direction.

"The boss didn't want to split her up then?"

"Stick with the program, Cubot." Orbot patted his head and rushed to see Harmony again.

Eggman let out a low, signature chuckle… seeing the monitors also revealing something else lowering…

"Look at that…" he billowed as he slumped in his seat.

"The world is already starting to go infertile… unable to sustain the life upon it… unable to give anymore life to it… The planet is dying… Its egg is being sucked, little by little by her power…" he took a drink and slurped the straw, a jarring image to his two Robotic henchmen who cowered at every evil slurp of his metaphor.

"You're misusing the powers of nature, Doctor…" Orbot dared to look up at Eggman.

"Hmm..?" Eggman rose a tyrannical eyebrow, swiftly leaning down and looking Orbot dead in the face, "What do you care? You're not made of life. You're electricity. Man-made. You don't have a smidgeon of reason to be loyal to her!"

"I may not be flesh and bone… but you created me to act like one!" Orbot stood bravely, moving away from Eggman to create some distance from him.

"Hmmm…?" Eggman leaned up, but kept his body still over the chair's armrest. "And what do you plan to do about it?"

Orbot's bravery… soon faded away.

"That's what I supposed."

"By misusing this power… What do you hope to create?"

"A new world."

"But… The laws of physic state that energy and life must come from somewhere! You can't spontaneously create something out of nothing!"

"True, true…"

"…What are you forcing her to use!?"

Eggman rose from his chair abruptly, having a strong and wicked presence to himself…

"Chaos once revolted against me… I won't have this power I now, solely harness, slip through my fingers once again!" he slammed the control panel, as the two robots hovered away.

He slowly leaned himself up, taking in a breath and removing the oxygen mask, placing it down before holding his hands behind himself.

"…."

He wiggled them a moment.

"Orbot… Cubot…"

He looked turned his head slightly their way, as they watched his back and the light from around them spiral away into the room where Harmony created…

"Do you know what the Ancient Echidna's did to craft the Emeralds..? What power they gave Harmony to then betray her and rule the entire planet?"

The two robots looked worriedly to each other.

"..No?"

With a strong swish of his hand, he turned his chair and jumped into it, leaning right in their faces as they cowered before his insane genius.

"They sacrificed their own people! They gave unwilling lives to give Harmony the power she needed…"

"B-But..! They went extinct!"

"Imagine the amount of lives they were willing to lose…" he held out his open hand, "Just to wield the power of Chaos?" He crushed his hand inward.

"So… So you're aware that the world is going to die… and you don't care?" Orbot looked disturbed and saddened. "But… it's the world you were born in…"

"I WILL CREATE MY OWN WORLD!"

Eggman turned his chair back to the lights, opening his arms out to it and keeping that crazed grin upon his face. His teeth sparkled with the lights…

"A world… all my own…"

Harmony hunched over, her one arm gripping her other shoulder as she felt years of Chaos Power she had harnessed to hopefully heal herself fade away from her in vain.

She looked down at her core… seeing her blood rippling and causing it to bubble uncontrollably in her rage.

She then felt the power of her creations… all those lives she just ripped power from…

She looked up… her eyes turning to sorrow…

Blood moved from inside her eyes to the corners of them, spraying around the fluid as though she was crying from the inside…

When the power begins to fade in intensitiy, the lights growing dimmer… Eggman suddenly looks back down to Harmony's enclosed containment field.

"Hmm?!" he gets up, dancing slightly to the large, wide window.

"Oh, Harmony? I hate to have you recall the sad tale to your remembrance, but do hear me out."

She turned to him, her body rippling like moving water…

"But I think you fail to appreciate the irony of this moment… none of your creations ever truly appreciated the 'ordered balance' you tried to give the world with Chaos right by your side…"

She shifted her head away, trying to block his image from her as she looked disgraced by that terrible memory…

"Hohoho… You feel it, don't you? All the women you thought were willingly giving their lives to control Chaos… You thought they were being truthful, so honest and pure… just like you designed them… but through Chaos's influences upon the world, sometimes, other forces interfere with such… happy thoughts, yes? Don't lie to yourself and say a part of you didn't want him to be sealed away…"

She immediately looked up in shock, and turned to shake her head in misery to Eggman, as if pleading that wasn't the case.

Her hand gripped her chest as the bubbles kept rising and dropping within her, a vicious cycle of her emotions showing how truly intense she was feeling his words…

"No? Well… it's still such a pity… All you wanted was to delight in your creations peace and happiness. The well-being of life was your task, and the destruction of them for the renewal of a new order was Chaos's part in all this…So, how does it feel, Harmony?"

His tone shifted, looming over the window as he gazed down to see her distraught and stress.

She gripped her head and shook her body left and right, unable to control the amount of power that was now coming from her emotions.

"Such a feeling God…"

The light grew more intense, the Crystal ringing as Harmony crunched her body down and tried to tune out his words.

"How does it feel… to contribute to the creation of your own world's demise?"

She spiked and her body liquidized up into the crystal, a powerful light shone so bright that the guns in the room were melted by it, the heat and the air were consumed in immediate fire… the literal flare of light…

"HOHOHOHO!"

Eggman laughed manically.

"Hell hath no fury…" Orbot began to quote, stepping away from the completely, white-consumed room as the three emeralds were the only thing unmelted…

The cage holding the Crystal melted and dropped it, having it crash to the center of the room, leaving a huge indent, just from its weight alone…

"Like a woman scorned." Cubot finished, turning away and simulating crying as he sobbed into his rubber hands.

The Crystal melted into the floor and then the ground… creating a strange lava-like substance around itself before the heat died down just slightly… and the light faded away.

All power ceased… and the Crystal remained moaning in agony.

On other sides of the dimensions and worlds… Blaze and Marine looked up to see a hole in the sun… an essence leaking through it…

Cream and Vanilla, still slightly recovering from the massively spread out absorption, turned to look out the window at the lights drifting in the sky…

Amy and Wave are helped down and sit by the stones of the Echidna ruins… where they unknowingly rest by the depiction of women being sacrificed before the sun… strangely shaped…

Like a Crystal.

The Harmony Crystal was moved to another location, being above and in the mist of her Emerald Giants as Eggman danced and jumped around, hugging and kissing the new creations as though they were his own.

Harmony was shocked by the three emeralds out of her Crystal again, falling gracefully down from the emerald as the Emerald Giants stepped back and made room for her.

They blinked as some tilted their heads, unsure why they felt a strange connection to her…

Eggman laughed as a light shone in through the metallic walls… it's light different from Harmony's…

She was sitting on her gobbish knees, her arm placed out in front of her, and her head down before looking up to see the light.

It blared once passing through the Crystal…

Her eyes widened in fright and she cowered as she leaned back and lifted her only arm up to cover herself from it.

Again, a hopeless look of regret and sorrow covered her body language and the red gems of her blood eyes…

Chaos's gazed remained undeterred from the skies…

Even when no answer was returned…

He narrowed his eyes into a sharp glare…

His bubbles within himself boiling out of control.

He hunched down before rearing himself up, crying out an angered sound…

Only the clouds of the sky could hear his want and longing…

Harmony…

(So intense, right!? Woo! Stay tuned as our women fall and the men must rise! But what can they all do to stop this calamity to befall… all worlds?)


	5. Chapter 5

Sonic and The Harmony of Chaos

Ch. 5

By: Cutegirlmayra (Hey guys! I’m trying to write a story like I did in the old days, but it’s hard because I like the new way I create a story now. It’s really coming together but I keep getting new ideas and ahhhh plot structuring! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story and find it delightfully **_EDGEY_**.)

The sun began to settle its hovering speed just above the bumpy, green terra littered with patches of brown and slathered with a wetness from the flying drops of sea off the shore. Tails’s house remained half in light and shadows, a piece of wood creaked slightly as Knuckles and Tails stood outside by his twirling watermill, laid on its side instead of upwards and rotating. It was his personal power source, and with the sea winds always beating against the shoreline and coast’s cliffs, he was never in shortage of power. They leaned against his wooden signpost he never truly finished, meant to state who’s house this was. It was more like an observatory and workplace than a real home though. But for Tails, it was enough. Knuckles finally repositioned himself with a sigh, sitting on the cobble of the small wall that surrounded the interesting watermill, staring at a figure with his emerald green eyes fixated on the sun. Its arms folded, standing regally against the wet spray of wind that lightly drizzled the ground beneath him. The water sparkled beneath his liquid feet, creating a beautiful array of colors that shown like a rainbow. This momentarily distracted Chaos. He looked down and his eyes softened into one of great sorrow.

Who was he grieving for?

“He’s been acting strange all morning.” Knuckles relaxed back, gesturing with a gloved hand to Chaos for Tails to see. The movement did catch Tails’s attention, and he turned his head to Knuckles.

“A little odd that he suddenly took an interest in seeing the world.” Tails stated lightly, just making small talk, but knowing full well this meant something was happening.

Knuckles shrugged, “He takes no interest in the Chaos Emeralds, so I’m not all that bothered anymore.” He seemed unusually unfazed now by Chaos’s actions, “As long as he’s not rampaging and sending others into the Twilight Cage, I’m good.” He rubbed under his nose, seeming almost apathetic, not wanting to burn his brain trying to understand the strange God of Destruction’s reasoning.

“I can’t relate with that, to be honest.” Tails looked down, “Why would anyone want to destroy the world? It’s so…” he looked up and started walking a bit down the hill from his house. “Beautiful…”

The sky almost opened with a shine of the on-coming sunset at Tails’s words. Knuckles looked up, glazing his eyes over the long, sleek blanket of faded rays that draped across the once bluish sky. Now, it was a golden orange, with yellows and reds to contrast each other as the descending sun bowed its massive head.

“It’s kinda funny you should say that.” Knuckles looked a bit nervous, sitting up more and placing his hands down on his knees, taking a deep breath. “I should tell you about this vision more… there was something really disturbing about it… something about…” he cleared his throat, surprisingly shifting to be very delicate and caring on the topic again. “Women.”

“Women?” Tails turned around, but as he did so, Chaos shot out another homing beacon to once again try and communicate and find Harmony. She had first sent out a distress call, but when he replied, no answer…

Why was that?

Chaos, in his impatience, gripped his three fingers to his chest and squeezed. Something was clearly wrong with him, he boiled again in rage, and seemed to be longing for something…

He let out a cry and swung his arms back, fully throwing his chest up to the sky and arching his back. The powerful blast was more fierce and resonated so vastly that it knocked Tails down.

“Tails!” Knuckles jumped to his feet.

“No! Stop!” Tails tried to warn his friend, lifting a hand up but Knuckles was knocked back into the spinning watermill, sucking him around itself.

“W-ah!” he was splashing amok, wildly swinging water and avoiding drowning. Tails felt the gulf of his stomach make him sick, the strange power that Chaos released felt like a kick below the belt, and he wasn’t sure why. With a leap of his feet, fighting the lingering sensation that made him want to throw-up, he flew up and grabbed one of Knuckles’s flailing arms.

The two landed back by the house, Tails falling to his knees and Knuckles gasping for air and rubbing his behind. “What… was that awful feeling?” Tails clutched his stomach.

“I remember this feeling… or something like this… back on the island.” Knuckles sucked in the pain and only showed the hurt on his face a bit, having his eyebrow dip down and twitch. He quickly swung himself up, “He’s looking for Harmony.” He concluded. “Tikal said something about the end of the world if Harmony and Chaos fought again. But… they’ve been communicating.” He wasn’t aware of Harmony’s silence since then, only that the feeling was pleasant and not as painful as Chaos’s colorful, circling blast that traveling in all directions. It even caught up to Sonic…

He was just blazing a trail with his super speed, still on the lookout for Amy, when the blast overwhelmed him and he face-planted into the ground.

Sonic skidded with his body flying up in the air and his face taking the total blow of the implant, suddenly spinning and flopping in his crash as his speed slowed due to the sudden traction. He closed his eyes as he was torn from the earth and flopped down on his stomach. His fingers gripped the loosened dirt under them as he flinched and twitched at the pain in his stomach. “Ahh… Yuck.” He slithered an arm around his waist, arching his back as he fought through the moment of sickness. “What was that..?” He looked groggily to the sky, his eyes still tensed up from the inner-strain before lowering himself back to the ground. “Man… ouch…” he placed his hand on his face before pulling it away when his glove rubbed a reddened splotch on his face. “Yssh!” he squinted an eye shut and looked to his hand, then turned to the reddening sky, still showing the traveling wave of light arching like a wide arrow through the world.

His eyes shifted left and right before he gripped his raised hand, “Chaos…” he got up to his knee, “Woah!” the spike in his stomach reacted and he curled a little inward, tensing and waiting it out…

“Heh… that unpleasant.” He remembered the first beam, but it wasn’t at level with him at that time. It just looked like two streaks of bright lights gliding over the sky… but because this one wasn’t in the sky, it blasted him, and it hit. **_Hard_**.

He slowly felt the pain ceasing after a moment, and got up, shaking it off and letting his mouth go limp, gums flapping as he did so. “Alright, let’s see where you go.” He raced towards the jungles, in another direction from his typical search.

Little did he know he was heading straight for the Echidna ruins… straight …

_To the_ _Babylon_ _Rogues._

“Communicating?” This fascinated Tails, as he pulled up his Miles-Electric.

“What are you thinking..?” Knuckles slowly tried to get up, trying to more accurately see what Tails was doing, but quickly fell to a knee and stumbled a moment, gripping his stomach. “Ohh…that’s a nasty voicemail if there ever was one.” He joked a moment, trying to laugh through the uncomfortable lift of his stomach. “Offph… I think I’m gonna barf..!” He plugged his mouth, gagging a moment while Tails quickly clicked in some commands.

“I translated an alien language, I can translate a sonic boom!” Tails turned to Knuckles, “Let’s ask Chaos to do that again but from a higher altitude this time.”

“WHAT!?” Knuckles sprang up, already feeling better.

Tails nodded, still having a smile on his face. “Em-hmm. I don’t think it’ll hurt anyone if it’s high up.” He looked over whatever was downloading onto his screen. “I’ll use my old software to decode it, maybe even get some readings and see what the ruins have to say about this _Harmony_ guy…” Tails continued to click some things in, sticking his tongue out and to the side, showing his childlike excitement for a new adventure to test his mind out and be useful again.

But…

Knuckles shifted his eyes about, looking down, and then looking almost guilty. “Tails…” he closed his eyes, squinting them shut in embarrassment. “There’s… something I need to tell you about that vision…”

“Hmm?” Tails was happily at work, not really paying him much mind.

Seeing that, Knuckles opened his eyes, “Hmmph…” gently, he lifted his hand up and pushed the device down so Tails would listen.

Tails was surprised at first but gave Knuckles his full, innocent attention then.

“This Harmony God… it’s… well, it’s bad news for women.” Knuckles looked away, seeming uncomfortable about this. “If she and Chaos fight-“

“She?” Tails blinked his eyes, learning this for the first time.

“Ehem.” Knuckles gave him a stern look, as though asking ‘politely’ to continue.

With that stern upper lip, Tails closed his mouth and bent his head, waiting his turn…

Knuckles sighed, “If she and Chaos fight… Chaos would win.” He removed his hand from the gadget. “The Echidnas, my people, used Chaos to weaken her. They did so... so that no other power could challenge their own.” He rubbed behind his neck, gesturing with one hand as he spoke, then kicked the ground and walked down from Tails’s house.

“I kinda wonder… should we really be letting them talk?” He kept his back from Tails.

“W-what do you mean?” Tails still seemed a bit confused but looked to his device and back to Knuckles.

“…The Echidnas… My ancestors… they did a terrible thing.” Knuckles lowered his head, a moment of shame coming over his features as he folded his arms and tightened his grip on their sides. “I wouldn’t want you to imagine what me, Shadow, and Rouge saw in that vision from Tikal… but I will say a lot of it was just… given to us. It was like watching those moving pictures-“

“…Movies?”

“Yeah, yeah. But faster. Some parts slowed down while she talked.” Knuckles turned back around, pointing to Tails as if letting him know that was the thing he was trying to say. “I think Chaos might want revenge. He hurled my ancestors into another dimension for crying out loud! What will he do to Harmony..?” Knuckles slowly shifted his head over his shoulder to the God of Destruction, still fixated on the far horizon.

He wanted that reply from her more than anything…

His longing eyes turned back to a fierce desire, his arms shifted out and waved with a self-control of a God controlling the wild waves.

The waves, in return, crashed against the cliffs and shores, as though reacting to his sudden rage and worry.

“…He does have a lot of power.” Tails mentioned, flinching a bit as he noticed the unsettled sea and Chaos’s rippling and shaking form, moving like a disturbed glass of water.

“…He practically drowned City Square.” Knuckles shook his head, but Tails walked up and patted his back, trying to comfort him somewhat from his worries.

“I want to hear the whole story. The vision, and what you know. But for now, you said they were companions to one another, right? That together, they created the whole of the planet and its egg?”

Knuckles reluctantly nodded his head, grumbling and looking down because he knew Tails was going to still ask him to take Chaos to the ruins.

“Let’s just give it a shot. If I can translate the message, we can know if he’s asking for a rematch for revenge or not. It will be okay. I have a feeling that’s not the case. He would have just charged off if it was, right?”

Knuckles shook his head again, “Not without a host he can’t.” He lowered his arms, “Chaos has been antsy lately… but he can’t travel too far from the Master Emerald, not without a wielder of Chaos to host him.” Knuckles then looked annoyed… “And you say Sonic just left?”

“… Eh… heh...” Tails felt awkward at that poor timing, sweating a little as he rubbed the back of his head while removing the hand from Knuckles’s back. “That’s… actually what I was gonna say. That Chaos reminds me of when Sonic looked worried.”

“Huh?” Knuckles blinked his eyes, turning back to Tails, “You sayin’ Sonic was worried about someone?”

“Sonic and Amy had a bit of a… uh… communication problem.” Tails made a goofy smile and looked to the sky, “I kinda wonder if Chaos and Harmony are on similar terms…”

“A communication problem?” Knuckles looked seriously interested in that, and turned back to the sky, still seeing no lights. “…Yeah, she’s not responding, right? But she must be getting the message.” He waved his arms about, heading over to Chaos. “Let’s get him to the ruins!” He seemed to have a new found hope that Chaos and Harmony weren’t enemies, and turned back to encourage Tails to help him. “He can’t go too far, but the ruins are close enough to Angel Island that he should be alright.”

They nodded in agreement.

“Right!” Tails sprung into the sky, gesturing for Chaos to follow them. “Come on, come on.” He gently coaxed and flew off as Knuckles made sure to watch Chaos from the rear.

“Let’s see if your message can reach her up there.” Knuckles smiled, putting his hands to his hips as Chaos calmed down, looking back at him with a tilt to his head.

He seemed to realize they were trying to help him, and immediately walked after Tails.

Chaos was a little hesitant about the jungle, he ducked his head and looked cautiously around at all the plant life.

“You think he’s nervous about the jungle?” Knuckles inquired of Tails, noticing how Chaos was falling behind.

“Maybe he’s feeling the pull from the Master Emerald, or even unsure of his new surroundings.” Tails looked behind him, still seeing Chaos wearily avoid stepping on a plant, before ducking when he almost ran into a branch.

The two were confused on his behavior, finding it rather humorous of the once, destructive god.

“He’s been in the jungle before though… I think.” Knuckles looked up, thinking hard about it and scratching his head before Tails just shrugged, smiling.

“Let’s just focus on deciphering what he’s saying to Harmony. We can figure out his odd fear of trees later.”

As Tails and Knuckles moved ahead, although Knuckles turned around after moving ahead of Chaos to keep an eye on him, Chaos continued to look around as though expecting the plants to come alive…

If Harmony was around… he wanted to make sure his presence was known, but not attacked.

He wondered what she still felt… how she was feeling… he missed her more than he could bear.

Harmony felt something in the earth and touched her weary hand to it. She looked up in the sky and saw the same curve of endless colors spread over the sky and didn’t react to it.

She just looked heartbroken and lowered her head.

The army of Eggman stormed the land, destroying nature in its wake and building stages and obstacles. Eggman was preparing for Sonic’s retaliation… but Harmony knew nothing of this.

All she saw… was another echidna takeover… but this time, run by a human creation.

“You! Make sure that loop-de-loop has spikes at the end of it! I want to see him trip up and burst into rings! Haha!!! You! What are you dawdling for!? Put those metal fish into the water already!!! They’re programmed to jump at light speeds, so you don’t have to toss them in one at a time like they’re gentle! AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Eggman, directing a bunch of bumbling robots and Elemental cyborgs to their tasks.

Giddily, he came up from his dilatorily shouting of commands and relaxed on his hovering chair, “Marvel at it, Cubot! Orbot! My plans for Sonic’s demise and the world’s takeover is going so- Ah! Wonderfully terrible~” Like a French chief, he kissed his pinched pointer finger and thumb and then sharply moved it away.

“He seems really into himself again, Orbot.” Cubot, looking up at his boss’s gleeful laughing before shifting back into his outraged cries and shaking his fists below, turned to address his friend.

“Of course he is, he really has outdone himself on this one.” Orbot put the speaker he was communicating through down and sighed, seeing his boss’s happiness over something so controversial left him a bit uneasy. “It’s as though he doesn’t care he could be wiping out an entire planet.” Orbot looked over to see Harmony, wearily avoiding the Chaos Emeralds strategically placed around her crystal in case she acted out. He moved over the side of the balcony to look down at her, peering at her wrap her one arm around herself, looking back over at the open expanse of Eggman’s mothership.

The mouth was open as more elemental soldiers continued to bring supplies out, just following robotic orders but looking curiously to her as if feeling some sort of connection and affinity to her.

She refused to gaze at them too long, her crystallized eyes bending as she felt something beat inside her when another powerful and colorful blast lit up the sky again.

“AHHH!!!” Eggman cranked himself back, moving further down and clutching his chest.

“Boss?” Cubot and Orbot both turned around, seeing him heaving and huffing in discomfort.

“Drat… he’s really persistent… isn’t he?” Eggman sneered towards the sky. “YOU CAN’T HAVE HER!” he shook an angry fist into the air, stomping on his EggMobile’s edge and standing up. “She’s mine.” His glasses gleamed as Harmony turned around, tilting her head at the strange sounds but seeing the emotions dictating his refusal to let her go.

She looked down again, the fluid surrounding her body encasing her eyes as if she was ‘closing’ them, but they still shone through the diluted substance.

“…I can’t stand to watch this any further.” Orbot hopped down from the railing he was leaning over and started hovering quickly down the curled line of smooth stairs, not having steps on them.

Cubot looked back and forth between Eggman and Orbot, his hands up in the air as if not sure who to follow. “W-w…Wait for me!” he took off after Orbot, “What are you planning to do, buddy?”

“I’m going to follow my directive,” Orbot stated firmly. He didn’t seem to be messing around this time.

“But your directive is to-“

“My directive, Cubot, is to watch over Eggman’s physical, mental, and emotional health!” Orbot began, “We let him abuse us, ridicule us, and even torture us. But this battle is too much. You saw him clutch his chest just then, didn’t you? That was clearly his heart! Those blasts are not merely signals, they’re an emotionally taxing wave that discharges a physical response!” Orbot quickly swung around, explaining it more clearly to Cubot. “Didn’t you analyze it?”

“That’s your directive?” Cubot itched the top of his cubed head. “I think mine’s something like… to be yelled at upon every occasion.”

“…Ugh, your directive is to perceive counter statements to further Eggman’s communication and help him see beyond his own intellect. Plus, your… _simpleness_ makes him feel better.” Orbot placed both hands exasperatedly on Cubot’s ‘shoulders’, before patting his head and continuing to move towards Harmony.

Cubot looked confused but continued to follow his friend.

Once the two hovered over to Harmony, a slight bounce in their float, they looked to each other uneasily and approached her with caution.

Giving her the same respect as royalty, Orbot put his hands together and lowered his head. “Harmony..? Might we speak with you?” Cubot also seemed to notice Orbot’s new stance, similar to submitting to Eggman and immediately mimicked the action.

“Just a moment of your time, your fluidship.” He seemed to mean to say ‘ladyship’.

Harmony shifted her being around, pulling back the fluid over her eyes and rippling her body with a glow like sunlight on water.

“It’s so diffused your light…” Orbot began trying to analyze why the light splintered off of her in many directions. When he did, he noticed an organ inside her chest, hidden by the-…

“UCK!” He flinched back, shaking his head and covering his robotic mouth with his large, rubbery red hands.

“What is it?” Cubot went over, attempting to poke her arm but Orbot immediately shuffled his hands forward, as if swimming through the air.

“Don’t touch that! It’s amniotic fluid!” he ripped Cubot away from it, as Harmony stepped back and tilted her head, unsure why the two strange beings were functioning without the essence of life inside them.

She leaned forward as her red, hardened blood eyes tried to identify them better.

“What’s that?”

“The liquid surrounding an unborn child!” Orbot seemed squeamish, his bolts clattering as he held Cubot back from behind, restraining him further with his arms.

“Oh. So she’s expecting?” Cubot rose the blue slits in his eyes, trying to piece things together.

“No, Cubot… she IS the expecting!” Orbot looked back to her, “She’s… what gives life to all things. She is life! Scientifically, she could be considered more than that.”

As Orbot let Cubot go, Cubot still seemed rather confused but nodded as though he got it. “Ooookay…” he hovered around her, giving her a good look as she watched him with curiosity. “So… she’s like a mother?”

“She’s more like the organ of a mother.” Orbot jittered in his disgust again, “But there’s an actual… there’s a … a heart inside of her.” He fidgeted but pointed a shaking finger at her chest.

Sure enough, when Cubot squinted, he could see the blurred red mass inside of her, not connected to anything much like Chaos’s floating brain, and turned back to Orbot.

“So...” he put a finger to his mouth, still trying to understand. “That liquid around Chaos… isn’t water?”

“You mean cerebrospinal fluid? I’m not sure.” Orbot tapped his chin, squinting at Harmony again, “But the colors are wrong, aren’t they? Then again, with the blood inside of Harmony, the clear color could have a tint of pink. But Chaos _looks_ blue, but is _actually_ clear as water…” Orbot shook his head, “Then again, they are aliens…”

“What about Eggman?” Cubot seemed to be tired of trying to wrap his mind around this enigma, and instead, put his hands to his head and looked pleading towards Orbot to change the subject.

“R-right… Ehem.” Orbot was a little too invested in their fable and realized he needed to stay on track. He floated in front of Harmony, holding his hands together in a begging way.

“Please. We don’t want to Eggman to hurt himself with things over and above his bulbous head.” Orbot’s sincerity mixed with his words almost came out insultingly sarcastic, but he seemed to mean well enough.

“Is there any way to keep him from destroying himself? Even just a slight chance? We know he seems to not care about wiping women off the face of the planet but technically, I think that’s because of a dormant fear that he’ll never get the chance to reproduce so-“ As Cubot rambled and dissected his boss’s brain, another colorful blast exploded over the sky in an arch of light. Harmony ducked, looking afraid of the light and covering her head.

Orbot continued to ramble but Cubot began to start seeing some connection… he noticed her knees wobbling and the boiling blood inside of her began to fizz up again.

He looked back to her face, seeing the distraught and nodded.

“You need to feel what he’s saying.” Transcending his programming, Cubot suddenly recognized the lights were opposite to Harmony’s cries for help. The beacon she had released seemed to had a pleasant feeling to Eggman, while this other beam drained and ached him.

“If Chaos is Harmony’s opposite, then perhaps together…” He thought about it, before moving passed Orbot and looking determined to reach up and grab Harmony’s hand.

As he did so, the sticky substance made him react with a fake gag, “Oh, barf!” he exclaimed before pulling her along to the roof.

“-but I’m sure with some trimming of that mustache and learning basic pleasantries he might actually find a future queen to his ridiculous Eggman empire and… where did everyone go?” Orbot spun around, looking under his arm behind him before forward and shaking his fist at Cubot leading Harmony away from the Chaos Emeralds.

“Wait! Cubot! What are you doing? Stooopp!!!” he charged after them.

“Romeo, oh Romeo!~” Cubot clutched his heart and then lifted his other arm out, letting go of Harmony as she stood upon the roof of Eggman’s base.

She looked around, being level with the blast of lights now,…

She shook her head, stepping away in fright, but Orbot finally could tell there was an emotional response in this Goddess.

“…What are you afraid of, Harmony?” He gestured for her to step forward, and not back down. “If you called out for help once,… why don’t you again?” Orbot didn’t feel he was going against orders. They were asked to watch Harmony, and it wasn’t like she was escaping _at this moment_ so…

In all honestly, they were thinking of the health of their creator, not so much his happiness…

Harmony gazed out over the sky… the earth below her… the dying planet she wanted so desperately to heal again… But it was not to be.

She turned her head.

Her single arm pointed to her obliterated one, and her shoulders bounced as if attempting to cry.

The robots couldn’t discern this emotion, and looked to each other, hoping the other one might have some clue but it was no use.

They had never seen such _hopeless regret_ before…

-The Jungle’s Mystic Ruins-

Jet leans towards Amy, “Isn’t this Sonic’s friend?” he then looked enraged, leaning back up and stomping a foot down, “Yeah! I remember now! This is that Girly that swiped the Arc of the Cosmos!” he kept stomping his foot as Wave, who was allowing Amy’s unconscious head to lean against her shoulder, glared up at Jet. “Jet, we’ve been over this before. You’re acting like a child more than a leader.” She huffed and looked to the side, “You can’t honestly expect our respect with a tantrum about things that have already happened.” Her comment froze him a moment as she mentally pictured steam coming out of his ears and giggled into her hand.

He turned away from her, folding his arms and flicking his tail back, “Whatever!”

Storm bent down to Amy, “The little lady with a strong arm…” he reached out for her, but pulled back and rubbed his peak as though remembering a painful pitch and swing.

Jet rolled his eyes back to Storm, nudging him with a swift kick of his foot, “Quit that! Don’t touch her.”

“I-I wasn’t going to, boss. Honestly.” Storm stumbled a bit but got up, worried his boss thought wrongly of his actions. “I was just remembering is all…” he placed his hands over his beak again, embarrassed by the misunderstanding.

“Both of you need to quiet down.” Wave looked back to them, before pulling the computerized gem off from her necklace and clicking it. Diagrams and data floated up on screens that projected from it. She swiped her hand out and they went flying out of view before Wave began analyzing her body’s condition, along with Amy’s state as well.

“Strange…” she muttered as Storm and Jet crept around the screens in front of them and went to look at it from her angle.

Jet squat down and leaned his cheek towards her, trying to see what she was reading. “What is it, Wave?”

“According to these readings, something just sucked the life out of us.” She looked over her pigmentation on her arm, “My colors returning… but that’s so weird… what kinda signal can pull such an immense amount of power from so far away?”

“So, your life was sucked dry?” Jet turned back to her, putting some weight on his knee and placing a hand on it for stability.

“Who would do such a thing..?” Storm worriedly put his hands up to his shaking mouth. “You mean it could of killed you..?”

Wave turned back to Storm, nodding, before returning Jet’s stare down to Amy.

“If it only happened to me and the girl… then…”

“Then why didn’t it happen to us?” Jet bit his beak down, angered. He stood up and swiped a hand out, “No one messes with my team! And I mean any member of my team!”

Wave suddenly saw him in a better light, a heroic and kingly stance made his childish behavior from before almost dissipate as she smiled fondly to his response.

“Whatever it wanted, it got it.” Wave rolled her shoulder and moved Amy’s head down to the ground, attempting herself to get up as she clicked the gem off and put it back on her necklace. “Emm…” she found herself still slightly wobbling…

Immediately, Storm and Jet reached out and helped her up. She gave them a weak scold with her eyes, before surrendering to their help when a kind and concerned expression was returned to her, along with a ‘forgive us and just let us help you?’ smile was offered instead of just letting her go.

“The signal was ranged so far that my systems can’t locate its exact source, but I do know the central direction, based on the arch of the signal, and the energy drained has a residual essence that we can track from here-“ she pointed to the direction she had fallen, “-to here.” And continued the motion to where her energy had departed too.

“Genius, Wave.” Jet smirked, removing his hands from helping her up. He walked towards the area, clenching a fist. “Whoever did this to you… we’ll get your life force back! One way or another… Anyone who dares to mess with the Babylon Rogues… Heh, gets a swift reminder how we're not ones to mess with!” the Rogues formed an epic pose before Amy began to stir with soft noises, waking up just as the Rogues turned around.

“Well, look who’s joining the living for a change.” Jet looked over his shoulder.

As they approached her to interrogate her about what she knew of the life-sucking lights, Sonic came blasting through the trees, seeing them approaching her and Amy looking faint.

“Amy!”

“Do you know what happened?” Jet asked, not looking very friendly as Amy placed a hand on her head, trying to keep it from rolling as she got up.

“H-huh?”

Wave made an annoyed face but was about to suggest that Amy didn’t know anything either when Sonic jumped and slammed his foot into the back of Jet’s neck.

“ACK!”

“Ambushing, 3 against 1? I didn’t think that was your style, birdbrain!” Sonic spun up and stood in front of Amy, watching as Jet twitched on the ground and swung himself up in an outrage.

“SOOONNNIICC!!! You wouldn’t know a brain if it hit you in the face!”

Suddenly, Chaos blasted like a water jet towards Sonic, wanting a host to find Harmony, but was immediately grabbed by Tails and Knuckles.

“Wait!”

“Where do you think you’re going!?”

-Within the Ruins-

“I think the dimensional rifts worked. I got my message through to Blaze and Silver.” Rouge’s voice echoed in undistinguishable sounds over the ruins walls, but the screechy recorder in Shadow’s hand was kept close to his ear, but down by his cheek.

He moved some stones and stepped up into an old chamber, looking around at the coffins all lined up in it. “Any news back?” he asked, blasting some traps that were set-off with a powerful detonator that he threw out.

“Tsk… I should have kept that emerald.” Shadow muttered as he walked by the cracked and tumbling stones, watching as an entire corner collapsed and revealed the sunlight from the edge of the caved ceiling.

“Nothing yet. I’ll keep trying. What about the ruins?”

Shadow kicked away some loose pebbles before pushing a coffin’s lid off, letting the sound vibrate as it cracked the floor and he peered in.

“…At the moment..?” he reached in, pulling out an amulet with a crystal etched into it. “Nothing.” He looked at the crystal designs on the other coffins… so many women sacrificed for the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald to come to fruition.

“All I know is that if Harmony gains her ultimate form… much like Chaos, you and the rest of your kind will be nothing more than dust.” He threw the amulet down in contempt, “I deny this Goddess her methods and powers. She may grant life as a blessing, but she is nothing more than a robber of her own cribs!”

(Ohhhhh, that quote though! –DANNNNNG- anyway, that’s it for this chapter, stay tuned for what happens next! Will Harmony reach out to Chaos? Will a battle unfold? And I know it’s yucky, but hopefully no more talk of fluids and organs, okay? Lololol Till next time, stay tuned!)


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